


Hachi

by shherie



Series: Konoha-Verse {canon divergence} [7]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Domestic, Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, Family, Family Drama, Fluff and Angst, Hokage Uzumaki Naruto, Implied Mpreg, Kage Bunshin | Shadow Clones, Konoha Village, M/M, Marriage, Married Life, Mpreg, Oiroke no Jutsu | Sexy no Jutsu, POV Sasuke, Pregnancy, Slice of Life, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-07
Updated: 2016-04-09
Packaged: 2018-05-12 08:56:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 65,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5660455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shherie/pseuds/shherie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>{NaruSasu/SasuNaru} It's been almost ten years; they've been together, they've been apart, they've fought viciously and made up over and over. Now they've built a life and home in Konoha. Is it time for the next step? But <i>family</i> has never been a simple thing for Naruto or Sasuke. Starting their own might not be as simple as it seems. A peek into the lives of Naruto and Sasuke with a whole heap of domestic fluff and a fair bit of angst.  “Mpreg”?? No, not quite!!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write a story about our boys in the future: after almost ten years together, what would have changed, what would have stayed the same? Would they still fight as much?? (Short answer: YES, of course, ahaha.) And after my Christmas drabbles featuring my SNS baby Hachi, I got a lot of people asking me how he’d come to be.
> 
> So this fic is about Naruto and Sasuke finally starting their family. I fear there won’t be much external action: this is **almost entirely domestic fluff** , with a fair bit of angst thrown in for good measure- with these two, what would you expect?? 
> 
> I’ve **tentatively labeled this as _mpreg,_** but please note that neither of our boys is ACTUALLY getting pregnant here. So how does it happen?? You’ll have to read to find out! And even though this is primarily NaruSasu, there WILL be SasuNaru as well- they like to mix things up sometimes. 
> 
> (Also…does it count as a sequel for _Lost on the Road of Life_ if almost ten years has gone by?? I’m not sure but…well okay, it IS a sequel, and it follows my other Konoha-verse one-shots as well. But none of those are required reading: I think this fic can probably stand on its own.)

Who would have thought that Naruto Uzumaki, a creature of pure impulsiveness and completely lacking in self-control, could have ever learned how to hold onto his anger? Yet he lasted the entire party, from the afternoon until late at night, and no-one save those who knew him best would have known that he was _fuming_. Yes, he’d learned how to act, at long last.

But Sasuke knew; and he knew that the moment they returned home, they were in for a fight. Oh, it had been brewing for _months_ \- almost a year, even, ever since Sakura had announced that little Sakumo was on his way. Today’s party had been to celebrate the chubby baby boy’s third month. All day the tension had been pushing past boiling-point. Sasuke could see it in the way Naruto held his shoulders, the stiffness in his back, the smile that was just a little too crooked.

And he’d avoided Sasuke the whole night, not even _looking_ at him save for that one wistful, longing glance Naruto had sent in his direction, when Sasuke had been cradling Sakumo on the couch. _Okay, Naruto, I get it_ , Sasuke thought to himself as they left Sakura’s house and headed home. _You’ve dropped enough hints. You want **more**_.

 It took precisely two minutes to walk from Sakura’s house to their own through the trees. Sasuke held open the front door as Naruto stormed passed him and headed for their bedroom.

“Tea?” Sasuke called, ignoring the blonde’s rapidly deteriorating mood as he himself moved towards the kitchen.

“Mm,” Naruto mumbled back, flashing him a brief look before disappearing around the corner. That meant _yes_ , so Sasuke placed two cups on the kitchen counter as he boiled a kettle of water.

By the time Naruto reappeared Sasuke was perched at the kitchen table with his hands wrapped around a warm cup of green tea, mentally preparing himself for the coming argument. They’d been together now for- eight years? Nine? After all this time Naruto had gotten so good at deciphering Sasuke’s wants and wishes without the need for words, but apparently this was just too big of an issue for him to let go of.

Naruto took his own cup of tea from the counter and sat down at the opposite end of the long table. He didn’t drink it; he just sat there glowering down at the table, his eyes hardening, his fingers curling into a fist.

“You might as well just say it,” Sasuke spoke, his voice low and flat. He took another sip of tea. “Out with it, then.”

“Don’t see the point,” Naruto muttered, glancing up only briefly. “You don’t want a kid.”

That wasn’t entirely true; he just didn’t want a kid _any more_. He _had_ wanted one. He’d been so involved with Sakura and Kakashi’s first baby, after all- often against his will. Being the Hokage’s assistant meant diaper-changing and bottle-feeding, according to Kakashi’s logic. Well, Sasuke had gotten used to baby Yuzu, and for a whole month- maybe _two_ or _four_ even- all he’d wanted was one of his own.

“You had your chance,” Sasuke said across the table calmly.

Naruto exploded, slamming his hand down on the table. “That was _five years ago_ , Sasuke! I’m allowed to change my mind!”

Sasuke exhaled softly, placing his cup down on the table. “We agreed. No children. End of story.”

“Things _change_!” Naruto declared, “and you can’t just decide something like that by yourself! You’ve been telling anyone who’ll listen that we’re _never_ having children, don’t you know how hurtful that is?!”

He had to hold himself back from rolling his eyes. Oh, it _really_ annoyed Naruto when he did that. “Anyone who’ll listen? Honestly, Naruto, you make it sound like I’m going out of my way to do it,” he growled.

“Aren’t you?” Naruto said to that. “I heard you just the other day with Kiba, and-”

“-Kiba hounds me about it every time he adds to his litter!” Sasuke shot. “And I _hate_ it. He thinks I’m stopping you from having a dozen children of your own!”

“Aren’t you,” Naruto repeated, muttering it under his breath, glaring down at the table-top.

Sasuke took a deep breath, and then another. “We both know that isn’t true. _You’re_ the one who said no. We could have had a family this whole time-”

“How long are you going to hold onto that?!” Naruto exclaimed. “I don’t know _how_ many times I’ve apologised-”

“Not enough,” Sasuke grumbled, half to himself. All that work, all that effort to convince himself that he really wanted it- and feeling _sure_ that Naruto wanted the same, that he’d be _happy_ \- and he was refused. Flatly. He’d been shocked.

“Give me a number, Sasuke,” Naruto growled back. “A hundred more apologies? A _thousand_?”

“We _agreed_ ,” Sasuke murmured. “I wanted one, you didn’t, and you got your way.”

“Look, I was _surprised_!” Naruto said to that. “Who the hell would have expected that from _you_?! It wasn’t the right time-”

“And now is?” Sasuke interrupted, ignoring the brief stab of pain at Naruto’s words. “Less than a year after becoming Hokage? We’re busier than ever before. Great idea, Naruto.”

Naruto pushed himself up from the table, his chair scraping along the floor with a loud screech. Sasuke winced. Those were brand-new floorboards. “It _is_ the right time!” Naruto declared, pacing up and down from the table to the counters. “We’ve never been so settled. We’ve never stayed in one place so long!”

There was no denying that. Two years they’d lived away from Konoha, when they first got together. And then Naruto’s years of missions, his time as a Jounin instructor; Sasuke’s trips to other villages on Hokage business, sometimes with Naruto as well. There’d been nothing _settled_ about their way of life.

And yes, things had been difficult at times. It had been hard work- but it had paid off. They were happy. They had a new house, they’d even gotten _married_. Why do anything to risk that?

Sasuke sighed, his eyes following Naruto’s movements back and forth across the kitchen floor. “You’ll get over it, Naruto,” he said. “You only want kids now because of Sakumo. Babies do that to you.”

“That’s not fair,” Naruto scowled, pausing just briefly to flash Sasuke a wicked glare. “Can’t you give me any credit?! I’ve been thinking about this for _ages_ , you know I have!”

“Do I,” Sasuke muttered under his breath.

“Won’t you at least _consider_ it?!” Naruto exclaimed.

“You can’t bully me into wanting kids,” Sasuke said, standing up and sliding his chair back under the table. “It’s late. I’m tired.”

“Sasuke!”

“I’m having a shower,” Sasuke shot over his shoulder, as he walked away and headed for the bathroom. Better to leave now before he said something he regretted.

Because oh, that had all hurt _so_ much, all those years ago. Sasuke had changed a lot since the war; of _course_ he had, and Naruto had changed too. They’d adjusted to each other’s presence, they’d moulded themselves to fit each other’s needs. They’d done it willingly; _more_ than willingly. The rewards had been beyond anything Sasuke could ever have dreamed of.

No-one had been more surprised than Sasuke by just how hard he’d fallen for that moronic dead-last. He’d been _aghast_ when he’d realised he wanted a family with Naruto, and it had been hard to come to terms with that. Was Sasuke still _himself_ , or had he become someone who only wanted what _Naruto_ did?

Except that Naruto _hadn’t_ wanted a family. So the chance had gone by, and Sasuke had gotten hurt. And there was one thing about Sasuke that would never, ever change: he didn’t forgive easily.

***

He took a long, steaming-hot shower, doing his best to push his anger aside and failing completely.

Back when he and Naruto had first gotten together- all that long, first year- they’d tried to stop themselves from fighting so much. Shouldn’t they get along, now that they were in a relationship? Needless to say, it hadn’t worked- at all. Things between them had always been explosive. Trying to avoid that had just meant they’d avoided _each other_. For days they’d ignore the other, just getting angrier and angrier.

So yes, they fought all the time. Small disagreements, mostly. No, Sasuke _didn’t_ want ramen for dinner three times in a row; yes, Naruto _did_ insist that they go to Chouji’s birthday party. But big fights like this? It had been building for a long time, and it had the potential to be truly destructive.

But that didn’t mean that Sasuke was going to back down. Why _should_ he? Naruto could just stew on it for a few days, until he realised he was being unreasonable.

…and yet.

When Sasuke emerged from the bathroom he found Naruto curled up in bed, looking completely miserable. One look at his downcast eyes and despondent figure had Sasuke’s resolve crumbling at once.

Sasuke crossed the room and sat down on the edge of the bed, facing away from him. “Truce,” he murmured, eyes on the floor. “We’ll talk about it again tomorrow.”

He heard Naruto make a noise of surprise, and when he looked over his shoulder he saw Naruto’s frown wavering. “You mean it?” he said. “Truly?”

“Mm,” Sasuke said back, leaning over and giving Naruto a quick peck on the cheek. That would have to do for a good-night kiss. “I’m really angry at you,” he added, turning around and slipping under the covers- as far away on his side of the bed as he could manage.

“I’m just as angry at _you_ ,” Naruto retorted, holding his hand to his cheek, his skin flushed lightly pink. “ _More_ angry!”

Well, maybe he _was_ , but they’d have to pause that while they slept. They’d learned the hard way, after _many_ years of arguments: don’t go to sleep angry. Sasuke was a master of holding grudges, and Naruto had quickly learned from the best. Their fights could last _weeks_ after a whole night of letting their grievances simmer.

“I’m going to sleep now,” Sasuke said, switching off his bedside lamp, his body stiff and tense as he settled down on the pillows. “…good night.”

“Good night, Sasuke,” Naruto said, and as Sasuke closed his eyes he felt the bed jostle as Naruto rearranged his sheets and pillows. Then the room went completely dark, and all was silent.

Of _course_ Sasuke doubted that Naruto truly wanted children. He’d been so against it when Sasuke had brought it up. Said he wanted it to be just them- that he _needed_ it to be just them. He didn’t want to _share_. There was no way Sasuke was going through that again if this was just one of Naruto’s passing whims.

Sasuke focused on his breathing, in and out, turning away any thoughts of anger that passed through his mind. He had to forget all that, and just sleep. And so he sighed, buried himself further under his blanket, and tried to do just that.

***

“Sasuke,” came Naruto’s voice, breaking through Sasuke’s sub-conscious. He hadn’t been asleep, not properly; he’d been drifting, tense and unhappy, tossing and turning. “Sasuke…” Naruto said again, louder this time.

Sasuke tried to ignore him, but Naruto inched closer to his side, sliding across the sheets until he was right by Sasuke’s back, but not touching. Naruto needed comfort when he was upset; Sasuke needed to not be touched when he was angry. Their compromise? …yes, there it was- Naruto’s hand clenched onto Sasuke’s shirt, gripping the fabric tight in his fist.

“Sasuke…” Naruto called again, the misery clear in his voice.

He sighed. “What?” he said, giving up on sleep. “You wanna fight some more?”

“No,” Naruto said back. “Our truce-”

“Will _end_ , if you bring it all up again before morning.”

Naruto fell quiet at that. Sasuke could feel the tension in the room- the slight tremor radiating from Naruto’s body, the jagged edge to his breathing. “I just want to…I’ll just _talk_ , okay?” Naruto said. “And you’ll listen? We won’t fight. I promise.”

“Go to sleep,” Sasuke instructed.

“I can’t,” Naruto whimpered. Actually _whimpered_. He’d been pushed passed his limit, apparently, and now he was properly upset. Oh, Sasuke couldn’t _bear_ that- it stabbed at him, gripped his insides like an iron vice.

“Naruto…” Sasuke sighed, rolling over onto his back, tugging the blonde to his chest. Naruto clamped onto him at once, hands wrapping around his sides, holding on for dear life. “Okay, fine. Say what you need to say.”

“They’re just so _happy_ ,” Naruto blurted out at once, speaking into Sasuke’s shirt. “They’re _complete_. But you’re the only family I have, Sasuke. It’s just you and me in the whole world. It scares me. What if- what if something _happens_?”

Sasuke said nothing to that. True to his word, he intended to only listen. Yes, he knew how Naruto felt- of course he did. And he wouldn’t be reassured, even if Sasuke lay here and rattled off the miles-long list of people that Naruto had befriended, who loved him and considered him family.

“Say there was an accident,” Naruto went on, his voice dull and quiet. “And Kakashi, he- you know. Sakura wouldn’t be alone, not with Yuzu and Sakumo. She’ll always have them.”

Sasuke bit his lip. So Naruto thought that having kids would ease a loss of that magnitude? Not likely. No, not at _all_.

“And,” Naruto continued. “You just never know what’s coming. It could be you, it could be me. I can’t _bear_ the thought of- and just thinking of you here in this house by yourself, I _can’t_ -”

His voice cracked and Sasuke instantly brought his hand up to Naruto’s head, ran his fingers down through that shaggy blonde hair, rubbed soothing circles into Naruto’s tense shoulders. That was _not_ a good reason to have a child. It couldn’t be. Naruto thought he was offsetting the risk of pain, by increasing their family? No, it would just give them both more to _lose_.

“Naruto…” Sasuke murmured, petting his hair, pressing his hands down his spine.

“I know,” Naruto quickly said back. “And that’s not the only reason, I _swear_ it’s not. I’ve got _thousands_ , and I just- I just _want_ it, okay? I want it for us. But I- sometimes at night it’s all I can think about, I get so scared of losing you and I can’t _breath_ -”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Sasuke interrupted. He knew that fear; he knew it very well. There _weren’t_ any guarantees, no-one knew what was coming- but there were promises, and commitments. Sasuke wasn’t going anywhere, for as long as it was in his power to stay by Naruto’s side.

Naruto gasped in a sharp breath. “But-”

“Naruto, I know what it’s like to watch you die,” he said. And he was breaking the rules; it was one of their most taboo subjects, but it had to be said. “A baby wouldn’t help with that. _Nothing_ could help with that.”

Naruto fell silent at that, trembling slightly in Sasuke’s arms before going still.

“I’m so sorry, Sasuke,” Naruto gushed. “I know how badly hurt you were back when I said no. I wasn’t- I just wasn’t _ready_. You’ve always been ahead of me, you know? Smarter. Faster. I should have trusted what you wanted.”

Sasuke frowned. Is that really how he felt? Naruto’s apology finally sounded _genuine_ , and some part of Sasuke finally let go of his grudge. “That’s not true,” Sasuke said. “That I’ve been ahead of you? Come on. You were the first one to say _I love you_.”

Naruto laughed at that, a sudden, easy laugh, sending an instant flood of warmth and light through the room. “Oh, well, _that’s_ true,” Naruto teased, shifting on the bed, rolling over onto his side. He reached out a hand and tickled Sasuke’s cheek. “Sasuke, you’re so _funny_ sometimes!”

Sasuke blushed and was glad it wouldn’t be seen in the dark. He slipped over to Naruto’s side, curling into the warmth of him, feeling himself relax as the tension between them eased dramatically. “I really don’t want to fight about this, Naruto,” he said, nestling into Naruto’s shoulder. “It has to be something we _both_ genuinely want, at the same time.”

“I know,” Naruto said back woefully, dropping a quick kiss to Sasuke’s forehead. “Ugh, I just got so- but, look, we’ll just put it all on hold, okay?”

“Yes, please,” Sasuke murmured, closing his eyes, breathing in deep; that warm, comforting scent of his dead-last. “Besides, there aren’t even any orphans _left_ in Konoha,” he added. That had been one of the first things they’d focused on, when they returned back here and decided- eventually- to stay.

Naruto grinned; Sasuke could feel it against his skin. He always knew when Naruto was smiling like that. “Well, actually!” Naruto sang. “We wouldn’t adopt. We’d have one of our own!”

Sasuke scoffed. This idiot, honestly. “May I remind you that we’re both _men_?” he spoke lightly, mentally rolling his eyes at Naruto’s words. “We _can’t_ have a baby of our own.” And what a blessing _that_ was. What if they ended up with- heaven forbid, a _blonde_ sharingan user?! He shuddered at the thought.

“Well, actually!” Naruto repeated. “Sakura and I have been talking a _lot_ , and we’ve got _heaps_ of ideas-”

“Naruto,” Sasuke interrupted, his mind suddenly flooded with images, a deep feeling of dread taking over him. “Oh, god. I don’t want to know!”

Naruto laughed again, wrapping his arms around Sasuke’s shoulders, pulling him closer. “Okay, Sasuke,” he hummed, leaning down and kissing him softly. “Whatever you say.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! Thank you for all your lovely comments on Chapter One. I’m so excited to share this new story with you guys; it’s certainly something I’ve never tried before! We’re moving at a reasonably fast pace here, so the answers of HOW our boys will have their baby are right here in this chapter. I wonder how many people guessed right….? Enjoy!!

Naruto kept his promise and didn’t bring it up again. Sasuke was relieved- and at least now that they’d fought about it, some of that tension had melted away.

He knew that Naruto was still thinking about it all. Sasuke could see it in his eyes, a silent plea whenever Yuzu came over to play in their yard or demanded that Sasuke help with her homework. He could _feel_ Naruto’s longing in the air whenever Kakashi stopped by the tower and brought his bouncy baby boy with him.

But no, he didn’t bring it up again, and there was peace between them once more. A calm, steady few weeks went by. Things were busy at work as usual, an endless series of meetings, plans, and proposals. Missions to approve and assign. Hours of paperwork, late nights in the darkened tower ensuring everything was done right. Naruto was slowly-but-surely adjusting to the role of Hokage, and Sasuke kept a firm hand on the wheel directing their teams of staff. 

The New Year’s Eve festival was right around the corner and Naruto was in his element making all the plans, rushing around town and throwing all his exuberant energy into making sure it would be better than ever before. Luckily Sasuke was right behind him, ensuring everything was in place so that those plans could come to life.

_We’re a good team_ , Sasuke thought to himself one night as they worked late in their home office. _Who would have ever thought?_ Not him, that was for sure. And yet here they were.

Sasuke paused for a moment, gazing over at his boisterous blonde working so seriously on his reports, chewing on the tip of his pencil. Naruto frowned, deep in concentration, completely lost to the outside world as he worked methodically at his task.

… _damn you, Naruto,_ Sasuke thought, a shiver running through him at the sight of Naruto across the desk from him. Sasuke had been caught hook, line and sinker by this guy, and he was perfectly content with it all.

“Naruto,” Sasuke said, pushing his paperwork aside and standing up. “We’ll finish this tomorrow. Let’s go to bed.”

“Eh?” Naruto said to that, looking up at him. “Oh but, we’ve got so much more work to do-”

“-never mind that,” Sasuke interrupted, tugging Naruto up and over towards their bedroom. “I’ve got something _much_ more important for you to do.”

***

Sasuke woke in the night, his chest tight and his breathing coming in jagged, harsh gulps. He shot up and clutched his chest, shaking and panicky and scared, feeling like he couldn’t breathe at _all_ \- oh, it _hurt_ , he- He gasped as shooting pains ran down his arms and legs and his whole body shook uncontrollably.

There’d been _blood_ , so much blood- his own blood, his mother’s, his fathers. Itachi…yes, even Itachi was dead now, he was all _alone_ , and there was Naruto too bleeding out on the ground in front of him- and someone was _screaming_ , a high-pitched, desperate sound filling his eyes and spiking his body with fear. He was drowning, being pulled under, a raging red water all around him and forcing its way into his lungs-

“Sasuke, _breath_ , that’s it,” came Naruto’s voice through the water, a light in the darkness, catching his attention and holding it in place. “Just listen to me, okay? Take a breath in. Good. Now let it out. All the way out. _Yes_.”

Sasuke whimpered and rocked back and forth, focusing his while mind and being on that voice, following its instructions as best he could.

“Good, Sasuke. It’s almost over. Another breath. Yes, just like that.” And then there were arms wrapped all around him, hands pressed into his back, rubbing up and down, soothing and warm and _real_.

“Naruto-” he gasped, opening his eyes and seeing the world come back to him, but it was all _spinning_ -

There was a flash of movement as Naruto slid off the bed next to him, manoeuvred Sasuke to sit on the edge, tugged on his shoulders gently until his upper body was leaning down. Naruto knelt there in front of him, taking his hands; Sasuke gripped them tight and concentrated on his breathing, and finally- _finally-_ it seemed to be over.

Sasuke breathed deep as his muscled unclenched and the world stopped spinning.

“There now,” Naruto murmured, pushing Sasuke’s hair back off his face. “You’re okay.”

“I’m sorry,” Sasuke rasped, his voice dull, exhausted.

“Don’t be silly,” Naruto said to that. He let go of Sasuke’s hands and wrapped his arms all the way around his waist instead, resting his head in Sasuke’s lap. “Shit, that was _intense_.”

“No kidding,” Sasuke muttered. His breath still had a jagged edge to it; his mind still seemed heavy and ill at ease.

That had been _terrifying_ , and even more so since it seemed to have come out of nowhere. What had triggered it? Sasuke wasn’t sure how long it had been since his last proper nightmare, but a part of him had started to hope that they were a thing of the past.

“How are you feeling?” Naruto spoke. “Do you need anything?”

“Some water, maybe,” Sasuke said. Naruto pulled away from him and stood up. “…thank you, Naruto,” he added.

“Of course,” Naruto said to that, as he left the room. These attacks had been so much worse when he’d had to deal with them alone. Having Naruto there at all was a great gift. That Naruto had learned to handle them so _well_ was a marvel. It left Sasuke in shock to think about it sometimes.

Sasuke sighed and tucked his legs back under the sheets, leaning up against the headboard. His nightmare had put it all in stark relief. It was just like Naruto had been saying that night when they’d fought; they were _alone_. Orphans, both of them, the last of their families. Yes, they had friends- even Sasuke. They had support. They had a home. But was it enough?

_It **is**_ , Sasuke growled to himself. He’d spent all these years since the incident assuring himself that it was.

“I brought you some tea as well,” Naruto announced, and Sasuke blinked and jolted up, not having realised he’d returned.

He sniffed the air. “Camomile,” he breathed. “Oh, that’s perfect, Naruto.”

Naruto grinned back at him. “I know you pretty well by now,” he said, handing the mug to Sasuke and placing a glass of water on the table beside him. He strode around the room to his side of the bed and slipped back under the sheets.

“I know you do,” Sasuke murmured, blowing softly over the surface of the tea and breathing in its soothing scent. He could feel his nerves calming already.

 “Sasuke, I take it all back,” Naruto suddenly said, completely out of the blue.

Sasuke frowned. “About what?” he asked. “What do you mean?”

“The…well, when we fought the other night. I’ve been thinking about it a lot and I- but we don’t _have_ to kids, Sasuke, really we don’t!” Naruto declared. “Things can just stay the same, okay? I’m so _sorry_ -”

“Naruto! What are you talking about?” Sasuke interrupted, alarmed by his sudden outburst.

“You- something’s clearly _wrong,_ you haven’t had one of these attacks in- more than a year, I’m sure. Why now? Sasuke, we should just forget all about it.”

“I don’t _want_ to forget about it,” Sasuke snapped. “I need _time_ with these things, Naruto, you know I do! Don’t go making my decisions for me!” What was Naruto saying? That he didn’t _want_ a baby anymore?

Naruto frowned. “Oh, but you- you were so _adamant_ , and-”

“You definitely shouldn’t have brought it up if you were going to change your mind so quickly,” Sasuke growled. “I’m not an invalid, just because I have a nightmare or two doesn’t mean I’m some delicate flower that shouldn’t have children!”

Naruto’s face fell.  “Sasuke,” he whimpered, sliding over towards him. “That’s not what I- I was just worried that what I said might have _upset_ you…”

“Well, it did,” Sasuke said to that. “And I’m sure I upset you right back. Look, Naruto, I know I hold onto things for too long. I hadn’t forgiven you for saying no all those years ago. But now that I have, I just need some time, okay?”

“You’ve forgiven me?” Naruto gasped.

“… _yes_ ,” Sasuke grumbled, sipping his tea again. Damn this guy. First Naruto makes him some nice calming tea, and then he starts an argument. Stupid dead-last.

“Well, in that case,” Naruto went on, “…I don’t take it back.”

“I know,” Sasuke said. “Of course you don’t. Let’s just…just think about it all some more.”

Naruto hesitated. “But if you start having nightmares again…”

Sasuke shrugged. “We can’t help that. Hell, you could get sick again tomorrow as well. We’ll deal with it.”

And with that thought he shifted over to Naruto’s side of the bed and pressed a long, lingering kiss to his cheek. Naruto smiled back at him, taking a deep breath and settling against his side.

***

It was New Year’s Eve. Today was technically their first wedding anniversary. That kind of thing usually called for a private celebration, didn’t it? Not that Sasuke knew much about this kind of stuff. Honestly, their spur-of-the-moment wedding hadn’t changed all that much about their lives. _We’re the same people we were before,_ Sasuke mused. He glanced down at his hand, at the thin band of gold around his finger, glinting softly in the moonlight.

Still, Sasuke had made sure to give Naruto a small gift this morning- at Sakura’s insistence- and had been happy to get one in return: his most favourite green tea, in a pretty little tin. And Naruto had wanted to spend the whole day together at home, but he was a very public figure now and he had duties.

So here they were, attending Konoha’s New Year’s Eve festival instead of being curled up together in bed. And despite his previous whinging Naruto was having a great time, chatting away happily with the townspeople all night long and eating all the junk food that Sasuke never let him have at home. _He’ll be sick in the morning_ , Sasuke groaned to himself.

Sasuke put up with crowds for as long as he could, and then he snuck away with Sakura and baby Sakumo, and had a more subdued, but perfectly pleasant time in the park.

“He’s enchanted, look,” Sakura said, as Sasuke carried the little boy around the park looking at all the lights strung up through the trees. His wide grey eyes were sparkling with delight and he reached his chubby hands upwards.

“Mm, they’re pretty,” Sasuke agreed, shifting Sakumo to his other hip. Kakashi had already taken Yuzu home- she’d given up on reaching midnight and fallen fast asleep. “He’ll definitely be awake for his first New Year’s,” Sasuke commented. Sakumo showed no signs of weariness.

“Did Naruto like his gift?” Sakura asked, referring to the overnight holiday that Sasuke had bought for them and presented to Naruto this morning.

“He loved it,” Sasuke dutifully replied. “He wants to go right away. He’s been whining about going away for ages.”

“You both need to get away for a while,” Sakura said, tousling Sakumo’s pink hair and tickling his cheeks.

“It would be nice,” Sasuke murmured, holding back a sigh. Well, sometime soon, hopefully.

They resumed their exploration of the park, holding Sakumo up to the trees so he could see the lights. He was a cute kid, all smiles and giggles. Sasuke couldn’t help but reminisce about when Yuzu had been this small. No-one would ever have called Sasuke a _kid person_ , but he and Yuzu had gotten along well enough. And when she’d started speaking, _Sas_ had been her third word, right behind _mama_ and _dada_. Yes, Sasuke had melted. Who wouldn’t have?

Naruto found the three of them in the park just before midnight. “Ah, Sasuke!” he remarked, latching onto his side with a wide grin. “There you are! Come back to the festival, it’s time for the countdown!”

“Is it that late already?” Sakura asked, smiling at them both. “Let’s get going then.”

“Come to uncle Naruto!” Naruto cooed to the baby, taking him from Sasuke’s arms. “We’d better walk fast,” he added to Sasuke and Sakura as they returned to the crowed festival streets, weaving their way through the throngs of people to the stage. The crowd parted to let them through, calling out to their Hokage with glee.

“I guess I’ll have no-one to kiss at midnight,” Sakura said with a sigh, looking around and not seeing Kakashi anywhere. Sasuke suspected he’d fallen asleep right alongside Yuzu.

“Ah, you’ve got this one!” Naruto said, handing Sakumo over to his mother. “And look how cute he is!”

“That’s true,” Sakura replied, cuddling her son to her shoulder. “Oh, it’s starting! Off you go, Naruto!”

Naruto nodded and waved goodbye, jumping up onto the stage to set off the midnight counter. The crowd erupted in cheers and all started chanting at once, counting down from ten. Sasuke stood close by Sakura’s side, gazing up at his husband. Naruto exchanged smiles and greetings with his people, perfectly comfortable in the limelight, not at all bothered by thousands of eyes on him.

“Three, two, one,” Sasuke murmured, and there was a rush of energy from the crowd; cries of delight rose from all there, and one mass _Happy New Year!_ took over.

_It’s a brand new year,_ Sasuke thought to himself, and he shivered slightly. He was suddenly overwhelmed by the sense of things _changing_ , something inside him moving, getting ready for the next big thing.

What was happening to him? Ever since that night…

“Happy New Year, Kumo-chan,” Sakura cooed at her son, planting big, sticky kisses on his delighted face and drawing giggles from the boy. “It’s gonna be a really nice year, I just know it!”

Sasuke looked around and couldn’t see Naruto anywhere. That was to be expected, he supposed. There were surely dozens of people vying for his attention, eager to wish him well. But then all of a sudden Sasuke felt a hand curl around his wrist and he was being pulled away from the stage, and into a darkened corner.

“Got you, Sas,” Naruto teased, stepping closer to him, running a finger down his cheek.

“Oh, there you are,” Sasuke said back, wrapping his arms around Naruto’s waist and snuggling into his chest. Maybe he would get his New Year’s kiss after all. How had Naruto even escaped?!

“Happy New Year, Sasuke,” Naruto murmured into his ear, his breath warm and sweet against Sasuke’s skin. “A whole year now, can you believe it?” This time just twelve months ago their unplanned, spontaneous wedding had just ended.

“I can believe it,” Sasuke said back, smiling softly as he turned his face upwards to meet Naruto’s eyes. “Happy New Year, Naruto,” he added.

“Aww, you’re in a gushy mood tonight, Sasuke!” Naruto said with a grin, tucking his hand under Sasuke’s chin, pulling him in gently for a kiss.

Sasuke sighed and melted, pressing against Naruto’s lips, happy and content. It didn’t matter how strange this all seemed. Sasuke Uchiha, madly in love and thinking of starting a family? No, no-one would have believed it. Well, no-one else _had_ to believe it. It was _his_ decision to make, in the end, and no-one could make it for him.

***

“We’ve barely had _any_ time to ourselves lately,” Naruto whined, sulking as he harvested the last of their leeks in their newly-established vegetable garden. “Sasuke, we should go on a holiday. A very _long_ holiday.”

Sasuke silently agreed, and knew they would have earned it. “You know we can’t,” he said out loud. “I’m sure things will calm down eventually. It’s just an especially busy time of year.” And despite the fact that Naruto had now been Hokage for more than a year- fourteen months, in fact- they were still very much in the transition phase.

“Well, I suppose we can’t leave these guys by themselves anyway,” Naruto said, smiling down at the remaining leeks with pride. “Don’t worry kids, daddy’s here.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes at that but let it pass, focusing on his own task instead. They were planting the broccoli and cauliflower saplings next, so he was digging out several long lines of trenches. The winter was mild this year, and they should do well. Never let it be said that he and Naruto did things halfway; their garden would be _huge_ by the time they were done. The benefit of finally having a real house, after so many years of sad little pots and planters on apartment balconies.

Yes, life was peaceful once more. If only Sasuke could stop thinking about it. Stop thinking about a tiny blonde-haired boy, or a dark-eyed girl. A _family_. No, it was a terrifying thought. Everything was fine just the way it was. Naruto was all that Sasuke needed.

“I never would have thought you’d want _quite_ so many kids,” Sasuke commented to Naruto lightly, throwing him a smile to let him know he wasn’t serious.

“Eh?” Naruto asked. “You mean my boys here? Aren’t they stunning?”

“Quite a handful,” Sasuke said to that.

“You have _four_ cats, Sasuke!” Naruto shot back, rolling his eyes. “And my children are much better behaved than yours!”

“ _We_ have four cats,” Sasuke corrected. “ _We_.” And two of them barely spent any time at the house- so really, what was Naruto complaining about? He’d started the whole thing all those years ago, when he’d surprised Sasuke with that little orange fur-ball on his birthday.

“And every single one of them blatantly prefers _you_ ,” Naruto grumbled. “At least my plants love me.”

Well, to be fair, Sasuke was the one who fed them, so what did Naruto expect? Still, Naruto had always been fonder of their plants than their cats. He took it with good humour each time Sasuke brought home a new one, and Sasuke loved him for it. Naruto could be very sweet sometimes- _most_ of the time, even.

“We’ll give you a good feed today as well,” Naruto sang to the leeks as he stood up and dusted the dirt off his pants. “Would you like that?”

Sasuke bit his lip and turned away. Naruto was just so cute. He had so much love to give, and gave it so freely- even to _leeks_. And sure, he may have been a handful in the past, but Sasuke had no doubt that he’d be an amazing father. …if he ever got the chance to be.

“Naruto,” Sasuke called across the garden, keeping his tone as light as possible. “Just out of curiosity. What _were_ those crazy ideas that you were discussing with Sakura?”

“Hmm?” Naruto asked, glancing up at him. “With Sakura…? Oh! Oh, right, _those_ crazy ideas,” Naruto said, a grin quickly taking over his already-sunny features.

“I’m going to regret asking this,” Sasuke sighed to himself, returning to his task.

“Well!” Naruto exclaimed, tossing aside a handful of weeds and sitting back on his heels. “We had so many brilliant ideas, you’d be super impressed! But there was one plan in particular that Sakura feels sure would work. We even did tests, and she asked some people about it-”

“What people?” Sasuke interrupted, tensing at once. And _tests_? Just how far had those two gotten with their hair-brained scheme?! He narrowed his eyes. “Who did she ask about it?”

Naruto blinked, suddenly flustered. “Ahh, just, you know, people. People who know things about…stuff. And anyway-”

“Naruto!” Sasuke interrupted again. “She _didn’t_ -”

“And _anyway_!!” Naruto said, speaking over the top of him. “It turns out, my amazing _sexy-no-jutsu_ is even _more_ amazing than we thought. Did you know it _actually_ turns me into a girl, even on the _inside_?”

Sasuke’s blood ran cold. That…no, he couldn’t possibly mean- oh, _no_. No, no, _no_ , what a _horrifying_ thought, that was the worst idea he had ever heard in his _life_ -

“You can’t be serious,” he said to Naruto, his voice going flat in his shock. “You- you _moron_ -”

“It would work, Sasuke!” Naruto said with glee. “Heh, and we’d have a baby-”

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Sasuke muttered, a wave a nausea overcoming him as images flashed through his mind; that abomination of his, that perky, bounding, _ridiculous_ creature his perverted jutsu had created- what on earth was he thinking, what was _Sakura_ thinking?! “You’re- you’re a _man_ , Naruto!”

Naruto burst out laughing, actually doubling over and almost falling to the ground. “Sasuke!” he gasped, “your face! Oh my god, _no_!! I’m so sorry, I just couldn’t _resist_!”

Sasuke’s eyes opened wide. Was that all a _joke_? That idiot! “Naruto!” he scowled. “Then what did you _mean_?”

Naruto laughed again, taking in several deep breaths before he could speak. “Shit, Sasuke, I couldn’t do that! No, I would combine it with one of my clone techniques. You _know_ how advanced they are as well. See? The _clone_ would carry the baby! It’s genius!”

Sasuke froze. A- a clone? Well, that was insane. Yes, Naruto’s bizarre abilities and his training over the years had resulted in a unique type of clone- he had never been satisfied with the old _kage-bunshin_. But still- it couldn’t _possibly_ work.

…could it?

Sasuke turned away and retrieved his shovel from where it had fallen to the ground. “That’s enough of that,” he said gruffly. “Let’s get back to work.” He glanced at Naruto over his shoulder and found the blonde smiling back at him warmly. He sighed. Trust Sakura to indulge him. But at least Naruto wasn’t pressing the point.

“Okay!” Naruto cheerfully agreed. “We’ll grow tomatoes in summer. You’ll like that won’t you, Sasuke?”

“…yes,” Sasuke mumbled, going back to digging the trench, glad the Naruto was in such an easy-going mood today.

They worked in silence, moving on to planting the broccoli saplings, moving down the trenches side-by side.

“Besides,” Sasuke muttered under his breath. “As if I’d ever let one of _your_ clones carry _our_ baby.”

Naruto smirked, flashing him a grin as he pressed a tiny plant into the dirt. “Oh, well, you _would_ say that-”

“It would be out of the question,” Sasuke interrupted. “No, _I_ would have to do it. It would have to be _me_.”

And at that moment their vegetable garden suffered its first causality, as an astonished Naruto slipped and crushed that poor little sapling right under his hand.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> …that poor broccoli sapling, *tear*. Well, Sasuke just keeps surprising Naruto. Though honestly I think Sasuke has always been much more open to the idea of children than Naruto thinks…he is just quite frightened by it all. 
> 
> I hope y’ll liked this chapter! Stop by the comments and let me know what you thought~~.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **NSFW warning** for some lazy Sunday afternoon sexy fun times, *ahem*. There will be a little bit of smut throughout this fic, but nothing too explicit.

Naruto’s clones had always been different than other people’s, and over the years he’d refined his techniques even further. His clones had a strange _physicality_. They were wildly impractical in some ways, since they required food and water and all that- but they were much sturdier than a standard _bunshin-no-jutsu_ clone. Combined with that bizarre perverted jutsu of his, the clone technique resulted in a _vessel-_ for lack of a better word- that both Naruto and Sakura were convinced would be capable of carrying a baby.

…they were both _insane_. Sasuke wasn’t disputing that it would work: what did _he_ know about these things? It was just that who on earth would have even come up with this idea in the first place?

“Remarkable,” Sakura commented, staring at the clone in front of her with amazed eyes. “Yes, this will do nicely.”

“Mm,” Sasuke replied gruffly, arms still folded over his chest. 

“Of course, I’m not surprised that you mastered the technique so quickly,” Sakura added with a cheeky grin. “You’ve maintained it for…how long now? A week? And no strain?”

“No strain,” Sasuke confirmed. “And it’s been nine days.”

Nine days, and Sasuke barely noticed the extra pull on his chakra- the tiny bit of his energy being diverted into the clone. Sasuke had maintained clones continuously for much longer than this, and he was used to the strange sensation of being in two places at once; of being able to see through their eyes, feel what they touched. Naruto’s clone techniques really _were_ remarkable, and had proved immensely useful over the years.

“I’m sure Naruto is thrilled,” Sakura commented, motioning for the clone to lie down on the examination table. “And probably still in shock that you agreed to even _try_ his new jutsu.”

Sasuke had mentioned it to him, of course, that he intended to maintain the clone for at least a week to see what would happen. And in the same breath, he’d given the blonde a dire warning not to get his hopes up. No-one had ever done anything like this before. This was all just a _test_.

Naruto had taken that well enough. Indeed he’d been far more upset that Sasuke had- once again- so quickly perfected a technique that had taken _him_ so long to learn.

“You know, everyone always said you’d be a stunning girl,” Sakura giggled to herself, as she set to work examining the clone. “They were right! Naruto told me how gorgeous she was. I think he’s quite taken with her.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes at that. The clone barely looked any different than a male one- barely any different than _him_. A slightly lighter build, perhaps. And Sasuke’s hair had already gotten pretty long these past few years, so not even _that_ was different. As for the clone’s, well, _female assets_ , they were subtle, and all but hidden under the baggy outfit Sasuke had it wearing.

…still. Naruto’s reaction to it had further strengthened his resolve to keep the thing out of sight for the whole nine months. If it worked.

“So everything’s okay with it?” Sasuke asked, gazing at his female self on the table.

“Seems to be,” Sakura said. “Are you able to modify her in any way, or is this the easiest form for you to maintain?”

“Modify it how?” Sasuke asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Wider hips,” Sakura said matter-of-factly, looking down at the clone critically.

Well, that did it. He’d been doing so well at holding himself together, and then-

All the blood drained from Sasuke’s face and he swayed, falling down to the chair behind him. “Oh, god,” he groaned, burying his face in his hands.

“Sasuke!” Sakura exclaimed, rushing over to him. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Sasuke replied, taking a deep breath. _Don’t be so dramatic_ , he told himself sternly. “It all just seemed- so _real_ , for a moment.” And it had been _terrifying_.

“It _is_ real,” Sakura said quietly, her voice calm. She pulled a chair across the floor and sat down in front of him. “This could really work, Sasuke. So…you have to be _ready_ , before we do anything. Are we moving too fast? You have to tell me.”

Sasuke shrugged. For this whole week and a half he’d had the clone stashed away in the spare room upstairs, he had done his utmost not to think about it at all. “No, it’s not too fast,” he said. “And it probably wouldn’t work the first time anyway, right? Or at all.”

“Well, maybe not,” Sakura confirmed, biting her lip and sighing. “Look, Sasuke, I’m really sorry. Doing all those tests with Naruto…it wasn’t my place, it wasn’t right. I let my curiosity get the better of me.”

Sasuke nodded, accepting her apology without comment. “You’re a medic-nin,” he said, brushing it all off. “And Naruto’s techniques are…interesting.” Sakura wouldn’t have been able to resist.

“They sure are,” Sakura said dryly. “The thing is, back when you first started talking about kids, you wanted to _adopt_ , didn’t you? This is- this is _very_ different. The baby would be…half-Uchiha.”

Sasuke fell silent. Well, there it was, all out in the open. Sakura understood exactly. Sasuke wasn’t sure if it had occurred to Naruto yet, or if he’d thought about it at all. Would he understand, why Sasuke might feel uneasy about that?

“When you first came back to Konoha after the war, you were so…anti-Uchiha,” Sakura went on. “And…you’ve never worn the symbols, you’ve never…I mean, you’re an _Uzumaki_ now, legally! Sasuke, are you really okay with this all?”

He’d thought about it. He’d thought about it a _lot_. Sakura was right; for a long time, years and years, just thinking about his old clan had filled Sasuke with such anxiety that he couldn’t _breathe_. Naruto had helped, had been gentle with him, patient.

Things had gotten better. And eventually, they’d even built their new house on the old Uchiha lands; the place was virtually unrecognizable now, but it was still where Sasuke had been born.

“I’m…fine with it,” Sasuke said, his voice low, but firm. “It’s not like we’re rebuilding the Uchiha clan or anything like that,” he added, with a wry smile to show Sakura that he was truly okay. “And it would be an _Uzumaki_ , anyway.”

And the Uzumaki genes would be its cure. Sasuke would never have considered having kids with anyone but Naruto. But this baby- if it ever came about- would be _fine_ ; how could it not be, with Naruto for a parent?

“Alright, then,” Sakura said with a nod. “In that case, we can take the next step when the clone is ready. You know what I mean by that?”

Sasuke scowled. “Of course,” he said. He knew all about that…stuff.

Sakura looked doubtful. “I’ll give you some books to read anyway,” she said. “And make Naruto read them too, okay? I’ll give the clone a more thorough exam now. Do you want to stay?”

He paled. No, he really _didn’t_ want to stay. He shook his head and stood, preparing to leave. “No, I need to get back to work. It’ll just walk home once you’re done.” It was bad enough he had to see and feel that stuff through his link with the clone; he didn’t want to see it with his own eyes as _well_.

“You’ll have to learn to cut off the link, Sasuke,” Sakura teased, moving over to the table. “Have Naruto teach you how to set up a barrier. You don’t want to spend the whole nine months as both a man _and_ a pregnant woman, do you?”

The clone wouldn’t be a _pregnant woman_ \- it would be a _vessel_ \- but yes, he saw her point. “I will, then,” he murmured. “I’ll see you later.”

She nodded and he left the room, heading back to the tower.

***

 _Just stop thinking about it,_ he said to himself as he tried to concentrate on his work. They were very busy at the moment preparing for the next chuunin exams. Sasuke welcomed the distraction: at least he _would_ have, if his mind was willing to be distracted.

“Pass me that pile there, Yuki,” Sasuke said to his assistant. “And all those have been checked as well, haven’t they?” he added, indicating a huge pile of paperwork on her desk.

“Yes, we did those last month after their wilderness test,” Yuki said to that, showing him a checklist of names. These days genin had to pass a whole lot of tests and meet many requirements before they could even apply to take the chuunin exam. It was quite a task keeping track of it all, but Sasuke’s team was more than capable. He’d trained most of them himself, including young Yuki here.

“Ah, Sasuke!” came Naruto’s voice, peering in through the door and grinning at them both. “You’re back! How’d it go?”

“It went _fine_ ,” Sasuke said with a warning in his voice as he paused in his task. He had told Naruto repeatedly not to get his hopes up about this appointment with Sakura. It was one step at a time. “Don’t you have a meeting? He does, doesn’t he?” he directed at Yuki.

“Yes,” Yuki confirmed. “With the Iwagakure ambassador.”

“We’re on a break,” Naruto whined at that. “And it’s taking forever to get _anything_ decided, I just-”

“Hokage-sama,” came Shikamaru’s voice from down the hall, and Naruto flinched. “We’re ready to resume, if you wouldn’t mind…?”

Sasuke smirked at the edge to Shikamaru’s voice and Naruto’s reaction to it. “You better get going or he’ll flay you alive,” he said.

“Mm, true,” Naruto said to that. “Let’s just have dinner in the cafeteria, okay? It might be a late night. I’ll find you when we’re done here.”

“Okay,” Sasuke agreed, turning back to his work; and then his eyes opened wide when Naruto appeared right beside him and placed a kiss on his cheek. “ _Naruto_!”

“What?” Naruto said to that, giving him an innocent look.

“Not in my office!” he hissed, shooting Naruto a look. How many times had he told him this?! His poor staff had enough to deal with, without seeing any of _that_. “Honestly!”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry,” Naruto teased, leaning over and kissing him again. “Ah, that was an apology!” he cried as he stepped away out of range. He disappeared within seconds.

Sasuke let out a frustrated sigh. Boundaries- it was all about boundaries. And unfortunately, Naruto didn’t have any. “Sorry, Yuki,” he said to the poor blushing girl, focusing intently on her pile of papers in the corner. Honestly, that man…!

***

Naruto had being giggly and ecstatic the day he had his own appointment with Sakura. _I know it’s gonna work!_ he’d said to Sasuke, over and over again _. Yes, the first time. Beginner’s luck, see?_ Sasuke had generously allowed him a few hours to be excited, before calmly but firmly reminding him of their agreement.

This was all just a test. There was no guarantee at all that it would be successful, and even if it was, it wouldn’t be a _baby_ inside the clone. It would be a- a _foetus_. A collection of cells. _For how long?_ Naruto had asked him, the first time Sasuke had said all this.

He didn’t know. But this all seemed so _risky_ to him. It had never been done before, as far as Sakura was aware. She’d found a few interesting references in some obscure medical texts that had her _very_ curious, but essentially, this jutsu that Naruto had developed was unique.

So naturally, neither of them could afford to get emotionally invested. They had to be responsible here; they had to be _calm_. They had to be ready for this all to ultimately be a failure.

***

“I’m thinking of learning my dad’s teleportation technique,” Naruto announced late one Sunday afternoon as they lay in bed, snuggled up in the blankets, limbs tangled together.

Sasuke groaned, his happy, fulfilled mood broken at once. Not _this_ again! They were still sticky and sweaty and Sasuke had just been thinking that a second round might be nice and then Naruto had to say- that!

“You can’t be serious,” he growled to Naruto. “This would be the millionth time you’ve tried!”

“Don’t be silly,” Naruto said to that, ticking his cheek. “The _millionth_ time? Honestly, Sasuke!”

“Look, I know you value persistence,” Sasuke went on, ducking his head down and out of reach, “but you should just accept it already! Some people just aren’t _meant_ to learn certain techniques.” And Minato Namikaze’s _hiraishin-no-jutsu_ was definitely one of those!

Naruto’s face fell. “But Sasuke!” he cried, pushing himself up onto his arms and throwing him a sulky frown. “I _have_ to learn it- it’s my destiny! My _legacy_!”

Sasuke scoffed. “It is not,” he shot, falling back on his pillows. Naruto had tried and tried, and had barely any success each time.

“It _is_!” Naruto maintained. “My father’s legacy. A grand tradition, handed down from parent to child-”

“Ah, so his father could do it too, hey?” Sasuke interrupted. “Or his mother?”

Naruto frowned. “Um, well, I don’t know about that,” he admitted, lying back down, looking crestfallen. “Actually…dad might have been the first in our family.”

“Exactly,” Sasuke smirked. He reached over and tugged Naruto to his side, circling his arms around Naruto’s waist.

“But…but his _legacy_ ,” Naruto whined, resting his cheek on Sasuke’s chest, pressing a quick kiss to his skin.

“Kyuubi is your legacy,” Sasuke said. “And so is being Hokage. I think your parents would be more than happy with how you’ve handled both.”

“I want to learn it,” Naruto pouted. Of course he did; he always wanted to learn new things.

“And what makes you think this time would be any different? Why will you succeed _now_ , when you’ve failed so many times in the past?” Sasuke didn’t feel good about saying any of that- Naruto had tried very hard, after all, and he usually got what he wanted after that much persistence. Failure was _not_ in his vocabulary.

But someone had to be the realist in this relationship. The weeks and weeks- months, really, if you added it all up- that Naruto had spent on this technique had just been a massive waste of time. Naruto was Hokage now. He couldn’t afford to go after new jutsus like he had when he was young and free.

“Because,” Naruto said to that, a smile suddenly blooming and taking over his face. “This time, _you’re_ going to help me!”

“…no,” Sasuke said, narrowing his eyes, his suspicions confirmed. “I refuse. Give me one good reason-”

“If we’re going to have a family, don’t you want them to be _safe_?” Naruto asked. “I could teleport right to their side at the first hint of trouble!”

“Naruto!” Sasuke scowled. “It’s been less than a _week_! This has very little chance of working-”

“-oh, I know,” Naruto interrupted, waving him off. “This time might not work, or the time after that. Or maybe it _will_ work. Who knows? But one day, we’ll have a family, and I want to be ready for when that time comes!”

Sasuke fell silent. It was a low move using that sort of logic to win this argument. Even lower because he was _right_ : of _course_ it would be a useful technique in an emergency. And any kid of _theirs_ would surely face a whole range of challenges, and-

He shivered. Oh, he just couldn’t think about this! Maybe he _would_ help Naruto, just as something to do in the next few weeks, to take his mind off it all.

…but for now, they needed a much more _immediate_ distraction. Why waste their very limited time alone together with such awful thoughts? Of trouble, of _emergencies_ , of Naruto needing to be there right away-

“Let’s not talk about that anymore,” he purred, slipping a hand under the blankets and between their tangled bodies, tracing down Naruto’s stomach to rest between his thighs. “I can think of things I’d _much_ rather be doing right now.”

“Mm, like having a nap?” Naruto said with a yawn. “Yes, that sounds- _ah!_ Sa- _Sasuke_!” he shrieked as Sasuke circled his hand around Naruto’s length without warning.

“Yes?” Sasuke said back, flashing his eyes at Naruto as innocently as he could. “You’re not that tired are you? _Too_ tired?”

Sasuke ran his hand gently up and down, soft, easy; and still he drew a groan from Naruto, who was _very_ quickly responding under Sasuke’s touch. Yes, that was his man- whining to panting in ten seconds flat.

Naruto’s skin blushed a deep, scarlet red. “Oh, I- _mm_ , that’s- well _no_ , I guess we could…” his words trailed off, quickly subsumed by a low cry of pleasure.

“Don’t worry,” Sasuke said, slipping out from under Naruto’s chest and manoeuvring him onto his back. “I’d be _more_ than happy to do all the work,” he added, seating himself on Naruto’s hips, wriggling around until he was satisfied.

“I know you would be,” Naruto gasped as Sasuke rolled downwards. He reached out to take hold of Sasuke’s hips, his fingers dancing over the bare skin of his stomach and then trailing down his thighs and back again.

“And I’m even all ready to go,” Sasuke went on, leaning forward to press his mouth against Naruto’s, sucking on his bottom lip, biting down with his teeth. The second round always took so much less work than the first.

 _And I can’t resist him when he’s like this_ , Sasuke thought to himself, pulling back and gazing down at his man underneath him. He was still the most beautiful creature Sasuke had ever seen.

Sasuke bit his lip and circled his hips over Naruto’s middle, feeling a liquid heat start to pool in his stomach. He did this once, twice, and felt himself starting to burn in response to the sensation of Naruto hard and firm beneath him, pressing up against his entrance.

“Sasuke…” Naruto groaned, reaching up to curl his fingers around Sasuke’s jaw, arching his back ever so slightly in response to Sasuke’s movements. “If you keep looking at me like that- ugh, if you keep _moving_ like that- I won’t last long at all…”

“Oh, well,” Sasuke murmured, reaching a hand behind him, guiding Naruto’s length into place. “In that case, we’d best get on with it then, hmm?” He stifled a moan as he lifted his hips and then brought them back down, feeling Naruto slide all the way into him.

Naruto tightened his hold around Sasuke’s waist, held him still. “ _Hah_ , Sasuke, give me a moment, _mm_ …” Once Sasuke stilled Naruto trailed his fingers across his stomach, up his chest, back down, smiling when Sasuke shivered under his touch. “Pass me some of that,” Naruto said, nodding to the small tube next to them on the bed.

Once his hands were nice and slippery he brought them in between Sasuke’s legs, running up and down his length with an abruptly fast pace that soon had Sasuke gasping.

“ _Naruto_!” he cried, pushing forward further into Naruto’s hands, his breath quickening at once. “ _Ohh_ , that’s too- _mm_ , be _gentle_ , Naruto, I-”

“Move for me, Sasuke,” Naruto panted, his chest heaving under Sasuke’s body. “ _Yes_ , Sas, just like that-” he went on, when Sasuke resumed his movements up and down, pushing up on his thighs and coming back to rest.

He circled his hips and drew another deep-throated moan from Naruto, and he started moving faster, heat spiking through his blood and urging him on. “Like- like _this_?” Sasuke panted back, losing some of his rhythm in the face of the pure need coursing through him. No, he wasn’t going to last long either, not with Naruto’s hands on him like that, running all the way up him, running his thumb over the top of his length, moving back down. He-

“- _just_ like that,” Naruto repeated, “god, Sasuke, you’re _perfect_ , ohh, _yes_ ,” he hissed, his eyes fluttering closed, his spine arching up off the bed and pushing harder into Sasuke. They moved together, their panting and gasps filling Sasuke’s ears, until the rest of the world faded away and it was just him and Naruto, together and happy, with nothing to worry about at all.

“Na- _Naruto_ ,” Sasuke stammered, his thrusts downwards becoming erratic and uneven, his breath catching in his throat, “are you-” And then his words abandoned him as the hand on his length tightened and Sasuke froze, his body jolting backward and flooding with sharp pleasure.

And then he was aware of nothing else but Naruto underneath him, joined with him, moaning and gripping his hips hard. “ _Mm_ , yes, Sasuke, _yes_ ,” Naruto cried out, bucking upwards and holding Sasuke in place, breathing hard, his eyes burning.

Sasuke whimpered and fall forwards, letting Naruto catch him neatly and guide him down to the bed. Sasuke curled against him, finding his mouth and once and kissing him hard, breathing heavily

…oh, surely that was a _much_ better way to spend an afternoon than wasting more time on that ridiculous jutsu! _Even though I know he won’t give up_ , Sasuke told himself grimly, even as Naruto snuggled back against him, wrapping his arms around his waist. _Well, this is **Naruto** , after all._

No, Naruto never did give up. He sighed softly, feeling all his energy slip away as he melted against Naruto’s side. Looks like they’d be getting that nap Naruto wanted after all. _And then I’m guessing I have some jutsu scrolls to examine_ , Sasuke thought as he drifted off to sleep.

***

A month went by. Sasuke had never had to work quite so hard to keep himself and Naruto distracted. It was one thing to decide that they wanted a family- it was another to have to wait for it. And so they filled their days with work and training, and time trickled slowly by.

Until finally one evening in early spring came the news they’d been waiting for.

Naruto and Sasuke were leaving the tower and headed home after a very long day. “I’m _starving_ ,” Sasuke muttered under his breath, supressing a yawn. “Let’s just get ramen on the way home…”

“Ohh, really?” Naruto said back, sending Sasuke a jubilant smile. “And some gyoza and fried rice maybe…oh look, it’s Sakura-chan,” he added, as they walked through the front door. He grinned and waved brightly.

“Are you waiting for us?” Sasuke asked her once they’d exited the building. A tremor of nerves ran through him, which he quickly suppressed. _It didn’t work,_ he thought. _We’ll have to try again, and wait another month._

“I am,” Sakura said with a nod, her face calm and controlled- doctor mode. But then she grinned and her green eyes lit up, sparkling bright and radiant. “I have some really, really good news.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A word re: Naruto’s clone technique- in my mind he’s always been working on his clones, altering them to be much more useful, to be able to stick around longer and with slightly more independence than a standard clone. Until eventually, the technique he’s using isn’t bunshin-no-jutsu or kage-bunshin anymore, it’s a brand new one. Naturally he names it after himself, _Naruto-no-bunshin_. Combine that with his sexy-no-jutsu and you get… _sexy-Naruto-no-jutsu_ , *cough*. (Naruto did suggest that when Sasuke uses the technique it should be _sexy-Sasuke-no-jutsu_ , but Sas did NOT respond well to that, ahaha.)
> 
> Anyway, there’s a limit to just how seriously we can take all of this…we ARE dealing with a fictional world, after all! But I’ll admit I did have fun thinking of ways to make this work, ehehe. 
> 
> Thanks for everyone’s lovely feedback so far, I definitely feel less nervous now about sharing this new story with you all!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've just about finished with the first draft of this whole fic, yay!! I've still got rooms for a few more scenes though, so if there's anything you guys want included- some part of Konoha or Naru and Sas's life that you want to see, or cutesy-domestic stuff you're after, let me know! If they fit, I may just put them in, *winks* *blows kisses*.

It was their usual nightly routine. Sasuke washed the dishes while Naruto potted around, doing whatever else needed to be done- in this case, sweeping and mopping the floor. He was humming some inane song under his breath as he did so, and even after so long together, Sasuke still found this just as annoying as it was endearing. Naruto was incapable of being quiet for longer than five minutes. Honestly, Sasuke would have been happy to just clean in peace. The sacrifices he made for this gorgeous, beautiful man of his!

He finished stacking the dishes in the drainer and blew a soft gust of hot air over them- a modified version of his _katon_ that made housework a _lot_ easier. Naruto stopped humming and gasped, and Sasuke could feel the glare burning into his back.

“Cheater,” Naruto muttered.

“I’ve offered to teach you _so_ many times,” Sasuke said to that, turning around and grinning. He moved away from the sink, deciding he’d put the dishes away tomorrow. For now he wanted…something _else_. “Are you done with the floor?” he asked Naruto, leaning up against the wall near him.

“Yeah, it’s clean enough,” Naruto replied with a sigh, pushing the mop to one side. “I _still_ say we should get a cleaner. Think of all the time we’d save!”

Sasuke grinned again. “And _I_ say that I don’t want some stranger in our house. What if they- caught us?” he purred, reaching out to grab Naruto’s shirt and pulling him closer, running his hands down his sides.

Naruto blinked, eyes wide in surprise at Sasuke’s sudden movements. “ _Caught_ us?” he asked. “Caught us how? You- _oh_!” he exclaimed, his face turning pink when he realised what Sasuke had meant.

“Oh,” Sasuke repeated, drawing him closer still, his grin turning into a smirk.

“Silly boy,” Naruto chuckled, moving his hands to Sasuke’s hips, caressing him through the fabric of his shirt. Yes, there it was: his dead-last could go from _pouting_ to _ready to go_ in five seconds flat.

“Privacy is important, you know,” Sasuke went on, circling his arms around Naruto’s waist, running his hands down the back of his thighs and sighing happily. Oh yes, even after more than eight years, he’d _never_ get sick of this.

“Mm, well, you might have a point there,” Naruto cooed, leaning down and nipping at Sasuke’s throat, just softly, then pressing his tongue into his skin.

Sasuke moaned softly as Naruto made his way further down his throat, nipping and licking as he went and slipping his hands up under Sasuke’s shirt. “Wouldn’t want any interruptions,” he gasped, when Naruto manoeuvred a knee between his legs.

“No, we wouldn’t want that,” Naruto agreed with a deep-throated purr, biting down harder on his throat and drawing a gasp from Sasuke. In response Sasuke ran his hands back up Naruto’s thighs to tug at the top of his pants, hoping to rid him of the troublesome things- they were in the way.

“Naruto…” Sasuke breathed, arching his back and pressing forward. His hips started moving of their own accord against Naruto’s knee between his thighs.

“Oh hey, Sasuke!” Naruto said abruptly, pulling his mouth away from Sasuke’s skin and gazing at him in concern. “Are you feeling alright? I almost forgot to ask!”

Sasuke moved forward as Naruto pulled back, confused at the sudden loss. “What do you mean?” he asked, dazed. “I’m fine, why?” And why now?! They were having such a nice time…

“Ah, well!” Naruto replied, looking flustered. “It’s just that I was reading that book that Sakura-chan gave us at work today, and I-”

“You were meant to me approving mission assignments!” Sasuke scolded instantly, all while still trying to drag Naruto back against him.

“I’d already finished them, I swear,” Naruto quickly responded. “But the book said that you could feel _awful_ in the first few months of pregnancy-”

“Naruto!” Sasuke shrieked. “I am _not_ -”

“You kind-of _are_ , Sas,” Naruto said back with a grin. “And I was just wondering if everything was okay.”

“The _clone_ is feeling just fine,” Sasuke said with an annoyed growl, tugging at Naruto’s shirt, keen to get it off him and resume their activities. “Sakura’s keeping a close eye on it. And besides, even if it _was_ feeling unwell, _I_ would still be alright!”

“You’d still be able to _feel_ it, though,” Naruto said, helpfully twisting sideways and letting Sasuke pull his shirt over his head. “I know what those clones are like. Uh- I’ve not been through _this_ exactly, but-”

“I don’t want to talk about this right now,” Sasuke said impatiently, shedding his own shirt as well, pleased when Naruto _finally_ pressed back against him, skin to skin.

Naruto smirked at him, kissing the tip of his nose and nuzzling into him. “Right, I get it. You wanna go to bed and… _snuggle_.”

Sasuke scoffed. There’d better be a lot more than _snuggling_. “Yes, snuggle,” he said, rolling his eyes. He shifted forward, angling to one side so he could kiss Naruto properly, running his tongue along Naruto’s bottom lip, slipping into his mouth.

“Mm, okay,” Naruto agreed, “as long as you’re feeling okay!” And when Sasuke nodded curtly, he slid his hands down Sasuke’s spine to grip the back of his thighs tight, lifting him clean off the floor and throwing him over his shoulder.

“ _Naruto_!” Sasuke shrieked at once, kicking his legs out and pushing Naruto’s shoulders with his arms. How _mortifying_!

“Ah, so impatient,” Naruto chuckled, moving off towards their bedroom with the squirming Sasuke in his arms. “Don’t worry kitten, we’re almost there!”

And despite how indignant Sasuke was at this treatment, he eventually got his _snuggling_ and _a lot more_. Later that night they lay together in bed, Sasuke propped on Naruto’s heaving chest, both breathing hard.

“That was _nice_ ,” Sasuke panted, perfectly satisfied and pleasantly worn-out, trailing his fingers over all the fine scratches and teeth-marks Sasuke had etched into Naruto’s skin. They’d be gone soon- better enjoy the evidence while he could.

“It was _very_ nice,” Naruto agreed with a cheeky grin, twisting a lock of Sasuke’s wild hair around his own fingers. “And- and you’re _sure_ you’re alright?” he asked again, that same look of concern taking over his grin.

Sasuke scowled. Not that again! “I’m fine,” he repeated. “You’ve just got to trust me on this one. Everything’s _fine_.”

“Hmm, that’s pretty lucky,” Naruto remarked. “Honestly, the list of symptoms in this book made me thank my lucky stars that it’s _you_ doing this and not me. …um, is that really bad?!” he asked, flushing bright red.

“Yes, that’s really bad,” Sasuke confirmed, nipping his cheek before snuggling down under the sheets and preparing to go to sleep. “But I forgive you. And everything’s fine, like I said,” he repeated.

But unfortunately, by the very next morning things had changed- and were no longer _fine_.

***

Sasuke woke as usual about ten minutes before his alarm. He pushed himself up, swinging his legs out of bed, thinking about what to make for breakfast today- and that’s when the wave of nausea hit him. Sasuke froze, startled, and was just about to stagger into the bathroom- was he sick? Had he eaten something bad?- when it realised what was happening. It wasn’t _him_ who was sick- it was the _clone._

 _Right, okay then,_ Sasuke muttered to himself, doubling over, breathing through the nausea. _I guess we had to deal with morning sickness eventually._

He knew it wasn’t real, and that he himself wouldn’t throw up- but the clone sure was. Sasuke sat there for a very uncomfortable five minutes, while upstairs the clone’s body heaved as it puked its guts out into the bathroom sink.

It was the strangest sensation he had ever experienced. Sasuke could _feel_ the strain on his spine, the stabbing in his stomach, the burning in his throat. He squeezed his eyes shut when all of a sudden the sensation of being in two places at once became too much. But finally, thankfully, the nausea eased. The clone stepped back and sunk to the floor, weary and trembling, and Sasuke sat up straighter on the side of the bed and took up a deep breath.

It had been six weeks, and this was the first real sign that the clone was _pregnant_. Sasuke felt deeply uneasy that this had happened the very morning after Naruto had made such a big deal out of how awful he should be feeling right now. And if this continued…well, it would be a lot harder to ignore the whole thing like he’d been trying to.

There was movement from the door and Ginger the cat slipped into the room, slinking over to Sasuke and rubbing up against his legs with a soft _meow_. Sasuke leant down and gently scratched behind her ears. He would have liked to believe that she was concerned about him- and she very well may have been- but she was probably _more_ concerned about why her breakfast was five minutes late.

“Yes, yes, I’m coming,” Sasuke murmured to the dear fluffy thing when she meowed another complaint. “Let’s go.” He glanced over at Naruto, who was still fast asleep. Sasuke always woke first and made them breakfast on weekdays, and in exchange slept for as long as he liked undisturbed on the weekends.

Sasuke made his way to the kitchen on unsteady legs and greeted Ao, who sat waiting patiently by her dish on the floor. He spooned an extra-generous serve of cat-food into two of the four bowls. Midori and Mr. Socks (yes, Naruto had named him) spent most of their time away from the house, roaming wild through the Uchiha woodland.

“Well, guys. We might be in for a bumpy ride,” he commented to the cats, squatting down by their side. Ao glanced up at him with her lovely blue eyes and mewled. “Thank you,” Sasuke responded gravely.

It wasn’t the nicest way to begin the morning, and it had put him a low, dark mood. Sasuke wondered if he should mention it to Naruto- but oh, he’d just worry. So Sasuke tried to put the whole thing out of his mind, and quickly set to work putting together their breakfast.

“’morning, Sas,” Naruto murmured ten minutes later, coming up behind him and dropping a kiss to his bare shoulder. “Oh, what’s that?” he asked, sniffing the air. They usually had green tea with breakfast, but Sasuke needed something else today- two pots of it.

“Lemon and ginger,” Sasuke explained, turning around and pecking Naruto’s cheek before moving to the table. He left one pot of tea there, and headed for the stairs with the other.

“Sasuke?” Naruto called, confused. “What are you doing?”

“Taking this to the clone,” Sasuke called back as he disappeared up the stairs. And it seemed it would be very necessary. The poor clone was looking shaky and pale- just how Sasuke felt on the inside. Sasuke ran a bath and left the tea on the counter as well.

“Something wrong?” Naruto asked, the second Sasuke returned to the kitchen. He’d poured them both some tea and laid their breakfast on the table.

“Not particularly,” Sasuke replied, sitting down and taking hold of his cup gratefully. “I just thought the clone might like some variety.”

“Can’t we come up with a better name?” Naruto said with a frown. “We can’t spend the whole time saying _the clone_ , can we? It’s so…cold.”

“I don’t think it matters if it’s _cold_ ,” Sasuke said to that. “It’s…it’s just an extension of _me_ , Naruto. You can’t think of it as a person.”

“You’re the one who just took her tea,” Naruto mumbled under his breath.

Sasuke sighed. “There’s no harm in that.” The clone was perfectly fine subsisting on soldier pills and water, as well as the vitamins Sakura had it taking. Sasuke just felt the need for more this morning.

“I wish you’d let me see her,” Naruto went on with a frown.

“There’s no need,” Sasuke quickly said back. Naruto had seen it occasionally, of course; they shared a house, after all, and it’s not like he was hiding it. The clone took long walks through the woods every day to stay in good shape, and of course went to and from the hospital to see Sakura.

Naruto’s frown turned into a pout. “I know, you think it’s weird, and that I’ll get- I don’t know, attached or something,” Naruto went on. “But the _baby_ -”

Sasuke stood and pushed his chair back abruptly. He was still feeling mildly nauseous and was _not_ in the mood for this argument today. “It’s not a baby,” he shot, grabbing his cup of tea and walking away from the kitchen.

“Sasuke, your breakfast!” Naruto called.

“I’m not hungry,” Sasuke muttered, knowing Naruto wouldn’t hear him.

No, this was _not_ a good way to start the morning.

***

It seemed that after six weeks of absolutely no symptoms of pregnancy whatsoever, morning sickness was hitting them with a _vengeance_. And despite the name, it wasn’t just in the morning, either- it was the whole damn day, from the moment Sasuke and the clone woke, to the moment they went to sleep.

Sasuke managed to keep it from Naruto for exactly 24 hours. The next morning the alarm went off while Sasuke was still trembling on the side of the bed. Of course Naruto had panicked until Sasuke had assured him it was nothing.

“It just feels _wrong_ ,” Sasuke groaned to Naruto. “How can I be feeling this sick? It’s not _me_!”

“I’m so sorry, Sasuke,” Naruto said, rubbing soothing circles into his back, petting his hair. “It _is_ you, though. Like you said yesterday- she’s an extension of yourself, not a separate person.”

Sasuke whimpered. “That’s not helping,” he whined, clutching his stomach.

“I’ll make you some tea,” Naruto said, jumping straight up.

“And feed the cats!” Sasuke called out the door, and winced when the thought of cat-food made him feel worse.

The pattern repeated for the rest of the week. Sasuke was distracted and irritable at work, sipping on tea the whole day long. And all of a sudden he was so _tired_ , dragging his feet through the halls of the tower, snapping at his staff. Eventually he gave in and called on Sakura, begging for help.

“Give her these ones in the morning,” Sakura instructed, placing a packet of pills on the kitchen table. She’d stopped by on her way home from work. “And these ones at night.”

“How long will it last for?” Sasuke asked with a tense frown, taking some of the night-time tablets and setting them aside. Surely it wasn’t healthy, throwing up that much every day.

“Hopefully not too long,” Sakura said to that. “We’re almost at the two-month mark. Everything will feel completely different after _three_ months, but ideally you’ll get relief before then.”

“Ideally,” Sasuke muttered. Things damn well _better_ have improved by then.

“And she’s in good shape, apart from that. You don’t need to worry about the morning sickness interfering with that.”

Sasuke twitched. Despite Sakura’s words, he was worried. Naruto’s clone technique resulted in _very_ sturdy clones; they couldn’t be gotten rid of easily. They would stick around until they were dispelled- in theory. But who knew? And that would be _disastrous_. This whole thing was just too risky, and it was eating away at his nerves.

“If you say so,” Sasuke said doubtfully.

“You’ll have your two-month ultrasound soon, too,” Sakura went on. “You’ll be able to actually _see_ the baby.”

“The foetus, not baby,” Sasuke corrected.

“We’ll be able to _see_ it?!” came Naruto’s voice as he emerged from the bedroom, his hair dripping wet from his shower. “ _Really_?” His face lit up, his bright blue eyes sparkling, and Sasuke winced. He’d hoped Sakura would be gone before he appeared.

“ _You_ won’t see it,” Sasuke said. “ _I_ wasn’t even planning to go.” There was nothing to see, really. As long as the doctors checked that everything was proceeding as normal, what did it matter to Sasuke?

“ _What?_ ” Naruto exclaimed, starting to whine at once. “Why _not_? I wanna see the baby!”

“The _foetus_ ,” Sasuke corrected again, frowning over at him.

“Sasuke!” Naruto cried. “Don’t talk about little Ichi like that!”

“Ichi?” Sakura asked with a frown of her own, looking thoroughly confused.

“The _baby_ ,” Naruto sulked. “We’re one month pregnant so it’s _Ichi_. And I want to see it!”

Sasuke sighed. “Naruto, you promised you wouldn’t get attached.”

“I can’t help it!” Naruto shot back, stamping his foot and whipping around, heading back to the bedroom. “I’m not like you, Sasuke. What do you expect me to do?!”

Sasuke flinched and watched him leave. And he’d thought everything was okay. Sakura had given them the news exactly three weeks ago, and Naruto had been- fine. He hadn’t asked to see the clone. He’d only mentioned it that one time, that night in the kitchen. But evidently, Naruto had been thinking about it a lot more than he let on.

“You weren’t planning on coming to the ultrasound?” Sakura asked him, her surprised voice dragging Sasuke’s attention back to the present. “Really? Don’t you want to see it?”

“What’s to see?” Sasuke said to that. “I meant it, Sakura. It’s not a _baby_. Not yet.”

“And when would it become a baby?” Sakura asked.

He shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“You won’t be too hard on him will you? He’s such an emotional person,” Sakura murmured. “And obviously you didn’t know about the cutesy nicknames.”

 _Cutesy_? Sasuke wasn’t sure there was anything _cute_ about it. “I’ll make it up to him,” Sasuke promised. His blonde was a little _too_ emotional at times, and too willing to show said emotions.

“I’ll leave you to it, then,” she said, getting to her feet. “Make sure you keep her hydrated, okay? Lots of fluids. You’ll feel better for it as well.”

He nodded. And then he sat there at the table for several minutes calming his nerves before heading into the bedroom.

“Naruto,” he called softly, stumbling through the pitch-black room to the bed and switching on a lamp. “I’m sorry, that was harsh of me.”

“It _was_ ,” Naruto grumbled, rolling over to face away from him the very instant light illuminated the room.

“You’re lying in bed with soaking-wet hair,” Sasuke scolded gently. “Come into the bathroom and let me dry it,” he suggested, reaching out to pet Naruto’s shoulder.

“I want to _see_ it,” Naruto whined.

Sasuke bit his lip. “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” he said. “This could all go wrong in an instant. We have to stay detached.”

“I _can’t!_ You expect too much of me, Sasuke, you know you do!”

Sasuke pulled at him until he rolled over and sat up. “Bathroom, now,” he prodded, sliding off the bed and tugging Naruto after him. “Truce, okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” Naruto sulked, following after him reluctantly and then leaning down to let Sasuke towel-dry his hair.

They stayed silent while Sasuke pulled out the hair-dryer to finish the job. Sasuke _had_ been very harsh, but someone had to be the responsible one here. He ran his fingers through Naruto’s blonde locks, feeling a wave of affection for his too-emotional man. He understood, really he did, but that didn’t make it any easier to deal with.

Sasuke put down the hair-dyer and wrapped his arms around Naruto’s waist, resting his head on Naruto’s back. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I’m just tired, okay?” he added, gazing over Naruto’s shoulder and locking eyes with him in the mirror.

Naruto turned his head to kiss him lightly on the cheek. “I’ll forgive you, if you agree to come to the ultrasound with me. I’ve decided I’m going anyway, with or without you.”

Sasuke wrinkled his nose. He should have seen that one coming. And really, he had no right to keep Naruto away. If he wanted to go, he should go. “I’ll think about it,” he said. “And…I don’t mind if you keep calling it that. _Ichi._ It’s better than _the foetus_ , anyway.”

Naruto grinned, and just like that the tension evaporated away. “Deal,” he said. “It’ll be _Ni,_ soon.”

He had to bite back a smile at that. Nine months they had to get to- but they were almost two months down. Slow but steady, and progress was progress.

“And at least it’s the weekend now,” Sasuke added. “I’m going to sleep for two days straight.”

“That sounds great. I’ll join you,” Naruto said to that, spinning around in Sasuke’s arms.

***

One week later he and Naruto stood side by side in the examination room, watching Sakura and their obstetrician begin the ultrasound.

“Now, it’s not going to look like a _baby_ , you get that right?” Sakura said to them. “It’ll look more like a bean than anything else.”

“Sure, Sakura-chan,” Naruto said cheerfully. “I looked at all the pictures in the book you gave us.”

“It’s starting,” Sasuke mumbled, his eyes glued to the little screen in the corner of the room, his pulse quickening.

“We’ll just have a quick check around first,” Dr. Sato the obstetrician said, moving away from them to get a better view. “And then- ah, there it is!”

“I can’t see anything,” Naruto gasped, stepping forward and squinting. “Where is it?!”

“It’s here,” Sakura said, laying a finger on the screen and outlining a little smudge- what was really just a patch of lighter grey against a fuzzy background. “See? The bean.”

“That’s a baby?!” Naruto exclaimed.

“That’s our little Ni,” Sasuke murmured, feeling unexpectedly lightheaded. And all of a sudden he _knew_. No, it had never been just a _foetus_ to Sasuke. It had been a baby the whole time, right from the start. It was _their_ baby, his and Naruto’s…and he was terrified that he would lose it at any moment.

***

**_Bonus:_ A Handy Guide to Crazy-Cat-Lady!Sasuke’s Precious Felines**

**Ginger** \- the first. Naruto gave her to Sas as a little furry kitten for his birthday about six years ago. She rules the house with her fuzzy paws. It took her a long time to accept that Naruto was just as important to her precious human as SHE was. She has long bright orange fur and grey eyes.

 **Ao** \- the second. She’s a skinny, sleek calico with lovely blue eyes. Juugo rescued her from a bad home and asked Sas to help with her rehabilitation. She’s been living with them ever since. Ao is shy and even now is a little skittish. When she’s especially scared she tends to run to Naruto for comfort.

 **Midori** and **Mr. Socks** \- third and fourth. Jet-black, sleek fur; Midori has green eyes and Mr. Socks has grey ones. Obviously Mr. Socks has little white patches on his front feet as well. Naruto begged and begged to be allowed to name just ONE of their cats. Sas reluctantly let him…and look what happened. These siblings were adopted from Juugo’s animal rescue program as well, just a few years ago. They haunt the Uchiha woodlands, which is THEIR territory now. They spend only about two days a week at home with Naru and Sas.

They’ve had other cats as well over the years as foster-parents, but these four are their forever-babies. Yes, Sasuke wants more. And yes, he’ll probably get exactly what he wants, as usual!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick note of re-assurance for all those lovely souls who are concerned about the clone! While Naruto’s clones sometimes have a spark, a bit of personality of their own, Sasuke’s clones aren’t like that at ALL. They’re very…drone-like. As we’ll see as we get further on, she really doesn’t have thoughts of her own or much personality at all. She hardly ever does anything beyond simple tasks without Sasuke’s direct control over her. It’s actually kind-of creepy, even though I didn’t mean it to be, oops!! And it takes a lot more physical and mental energy for Sasuke than it would have for Naruto- he would have just let his clone do whatever it wanted, and it most definitely would have developed a personality of its own! 
> 
> She spends most of her time in their upstairs bedroom, but she does walk around the woods and of course goes to the hospital. The people of Konoha already know about her, but they’re quite used to Naruto and Sasuke’s clones wandering around. And if this one seems a little more…feminine, well…every Hokage has their kinks, so!

There was a certain trick to just getting on with your life and going about as usual when you felt nauseous all the time. At least, Sasuke _assumed_ that such a trick existed; unfortunately, he’d yet to learn what it was.

He did his best to hide it. After all, Naruto and Sakura kept bugging him to work on the barrier between himself and the clone. If he could cut off that link, he wouldn’t be able to feel all those unpleasant sensations. His efforts with all that were not going well, however, and for some reason he was hesitant to push too hard.

 _Someone needs to keep an eye on the clone, after all_ , Sasuke thought to himself. He couldn’t have said what it was he thought the clone would _do_ , or what disaster might occur- but pretty much everything that had ever happened in his life had taught him to be _cautious_.

“How are you feeling, Sasuke-kun?” Kakashi asked, gazing up from where he and baby Sakumo were couched by the training-room wall.

Sasuke bit back a growl, shooting Kakashi a glare as he moved through the room preparing for his class. “Don’t you _dare_ start all that,” he warned. “I’ve had enough of Naruto and Sakura treating me like a pregnant woman. I’m _not_. Cut it out already!”

Kakashi grinned at that, his eyes following his son. Sakumo was on the move, putting his newly-learned crawling skills to good use.  “Ah, still feeling like you want to throw up everything you’ve ever eaten?” he asked.

“I’m _fine_ ,” Sasuke hissed, rushing forward and retrieving Sakumo before he could get his hands on the wooden katanas in the centre of the room. He went back to the wall and held the squealing kid out to his father.

Kakashi took him gratefully, tossing him up in the air until he was smiley and happy once more. “No you don’t, kiddo. Not even a toy katana for you!”

“Why not?” Sasuke said to that. “Something wrong with swords?” he added with a glare, folding his arms across his chest. If Kakashi had a problem with it, maybe he should stop crashing every one of Sasuke’s classes. Two times a week he mentored a small group of genin. Sakura did the same at the hospital. It was better for genin to have someone else to learn from- not just their jounin sensei.

“Nothing’s wrong with swords,” Kakashi said. “They’re just not for _this_ little guy.”

Sasuke shrugged and went back to his preparations. His five students would be arriving soon. They weren’t bad, but they had a long way to go. Swordplay wasn’t one of the skills taught at the academy, so most of these kids had very little experience with katanas before last year.

He took a deep breath, trying to look as if he weren’t dying on the inside. Back home the clone was bent over the bathroom sink yet again. It didn’t matter how little food Sasuke gave it to eat; it was still throwing up several times a day.

No matter. A shinobi’s job is to endure.

“And what are we doing today?” Kakashi asked, as he watched Sasuke prepare and continued to be of absolutely no assistance whatsoever. He was a full-time stay-at-home-dad these days, as he reminded everyone at every opportunity.

“The usual,” Sasuke replied. “Drills and more drills. Maybe some practice matches at the end of class, if they’re doing well enough.” And if Sasuke himself was feeling up to it. Honestly, he would have liked nothing more than to cancel the whole class and go home to bed.

He leant up against the wall, deciding to just stand still for a few moments before his students arrived. At home the clone was gazing at itself in the mirror. Its skin was pale and covered with a fine sheen of sweat. Sasuke felt a stab of sympathy for her. The clone might not be…well, _real_ ; she’d just pop out of existence after this was all over. But for now, she was feeling pretty damn miserable.

“I wasn’t asking about the nausea, by the way,” Kakashi said, taking up their previous conversation. “I wanted to ask how you’re feeling about your impending fatherhood.”

Sasuke glanced over at him. “My _what_?” he muttered. “As if this whole thing is even going to work.”

“Ah, right,” Kakashi said to that, a little cheerfully. “You know, Sakura’s doing her best to reign in her optimism for all this. Even though she’s silently confident. But _you_ , Sasuke, you’ve got pessimism _mastered_.”

He shrugged. It had been eleven weeks. Things appeared to be progressing normally, but this was all still a… _test_. He turned his mind away from the image they’d seen at the ultrasound. No good could come from dwelling on that.

“But in any case, you’ll be starting a family one way or another, won’t you?” Kakashi went on. “You’d try again, or try something else?”

Sasuke shrugged again. Yes, probably. He thought back to last night, at Naruto’s delighted face while reading the book Sakura had lent him. He’d skipped all the pregnancy stuff- _it’s freaky, Sasuke!_ he’d whined- and was onto the section about caring for newborns. That chapter was much more appealing, evidently.

So…yes. If this clone thing didn’t work out then…they would try something else.

“I guess we’ll have a family eventually,” he said to Kakashi, his voice cautious and hesitant.

“And then…fatherhood,” Kakashi said.

Sakumo crawled over to Sasuke, latching onto his legs and pulling himself up. “ _Ga_ ,” the baby said, grinning with satisfaction when Sasuke leaned over and snatched him up.

“I suppose so,” Sasuke said in response to Kakashi’s comment. Yes, they’d be fathers. What of it? “Why don’t you want Sakumo playing with swords?” he said, changing the subject as the chubby baby tugged at the wooden katana strapped to Sasuke’s side.

“I’d rather he’d grow up to be a chef,” Kakashi said to that. “Wouldn’t that be nice?”

A _chef?_   The son of the legendary Sakura Haruno and the Sixth Hokage- a _chef?_

“Not a shinobi?” Sasuke asked.

“Ah,” Kakashi replied. “No. I don’t think so. Yuzu will be, of course. It’s too late to stop that.”

Sasuke frowned. _Too late to stop that._ Well, naturally. Yuzu was already advanced for her age, constantly bugging them all to train with her. So Kakashi didn’t want his son going down the same path…?

“It wears at one’s soul,” Kakashi murmured, “constantly sending children off to battle.”

Sasuke blinked, startled at the change in his tone.

“The Yondaime said that to me once,” Kakashi went on. “He talked about it a lot. How nice it would be if his child were born during a time of peace, and could become whatever it wanted.”

“Naruto’s father said that?” Sasuke remarked. His mind suddenly pulled up an image of Naruto working behind the counter of Ichiraku’s. He’d be the owner of a whole chain of ramen stores; his whole life would be about ramen… Sasuke sighed and shook his head. Naruto Uzumaki, as anything _but_ a shinobi? How ludicrous. It was _ludicrous_ , right?

Kakashi nodded. “He can have a toy sword if he really wants one,” he said, glancing at his son in Sasuke’s arms. “I’d prefer he didn’t, though.”

Of course, Sasuke’s mind went on, it’s not like Naruto was ever given a chance to be anything _other_ than a shinobi…kids had options though, these days. And that would continue with the policies the tower was working on. Maybe little Sakumo _would_ be a chef.

“Sasuke-sensei!!” a high-pitched voice exclaimed, breaking through Sasuke’s musing. _Here we go_ , he thought. “Sasuke-sensei, I gotta show you what I practiced!”

He shook his head, putting aside all thoughts of _fatherhood_ , of raising shinobi or non-shinobi. He had a job to do.

***

Sasuke stopped by the tower after his class had ended. Yuki had everything in hand during his absence as usual. She was young, but very capable. Naruto was still in a meeting and would be working late, so Sasuke packed up some paperwork and headed home by himself.

 _Home_ these days was the house that he and Naruto had built off in the middle of the Uchiha lands. They called them the Uchiha _woods_ , thanks to the masses of trees that had sprung up on the empty land after Pein’s attack on Konoha had wiped the whole place out.

It was set apart from the rest of Konoha and was gratifyingly private and peaceful. It wasn’t always _quiet_ , since Sakura and Kakashi had a house of their own a short walk away through the trees. There were a few other houses as well: the little cabin he and Naruto had built as their hideaway when they’d first moved back to Konoha, and the house that Taka stayed in when they came to visit. No, it wasn’t always _quiet_ around here, but it was a wonderful retreat from their busy working lives nonetheless.

Sasuke was deep in thought as he walked home. So, Kakashi didn’t want his son to become a ninja; he had other dreams for his child. Did Naruto have dreams like that? Did he think about what it would be like raising their children in a hidden village, watching them grow up here? There was peace between the lands and hidden villages now, but what if that changed? What might their children have to face one day?

He and Naruto might not have spent a lot of time in the past talking about their future family, but they _had_ talked about peace. About what it had taken to achieve it- what it had cost both of them, personally- and what needed to be done to maintain it.

 _Hey, Naruto_ , he’d asked one night. _What would you have been if you weren’t a ninja?_

Naruto had taken the question seriously before answering. That had surprised Sasuke- but then, perhaps Naruto put a lot of thought of his own into that question over the years.

 _I’d be a farmer, maybe,_ Naruto had said, gazing down at Sasuke with an oddly-hesitant expression on his face- as if he wasn’t sure that Sasuke would approve of his answer. And Naruto had gone on to tell of the three months he and Jiraiya had lived on a civilian farm; he’d made Naruto and his clones do _all_ the farm-work as a training exercise in splitting his attention. _Yes, that’s what I would have done. What I’d like to have done._

 _That sounds nice,_ Sasuke had said back, imagining Naruto out in the sunshine, working hard, his plants and animals all around him. More plants than animals, maybe. Naruto had always loved gardening.

His response had pleased Naruto. _I’d grow all kinds of vegetables,_ he’d gone on to say. _Cabbages and garlic and carrots._

Sasuke had found that part a little harder to believe: so Naruto would grow all those things even though he hated eating them?

 _I don’t **hate** them,_ Naruto had whined. _I just don’t know how to cook them!_

Well, they’d changed _that_ since they moved back to Konoha. Naruto still had his weekly ramen, and he snuck cup ramen into work all the time, but he’d also learned how to cook. Harvesting his own vegetables from their planters on the balcony had made him so happy that Sasuke wished he really _could_ have been a farmer, and saved himself all he’d been through.

***

“Sa-su-ke~” Naruto sang as he waltzed into Sasuke’s office later on that week. “I’m _bored_! What are you up to?”

Sasuke rolled his eyes as Naruto came up behind him and latched onto his shoulders. “I’m _working_ , moron. What do you think I’m doing?” He threw a quick glance to see what Yuki and the others were doing- good, they’d made themselves busy. His staff knew what to do when Naruto was like _this_.

“Hmm,” Naruto said to that, resting his head in the crook of Sasuke’s neck, paying no heed whatsoever to the three girls across the room. “Thinking about _me_ , maybe?”

Oh right, because in Naruto’s mind, Sasuke spent _all day_ doing that. “Idiot,” Sasuke muttered. “Can’t you find something useful to do?” It’s not like he had a whole village to run or anything.

“I already did everything on my to-do list and _more_ ,” Naruto said. “Let’s go out, Sas. An afternoon-tea date. Come on!” he cajoled, nipping Sasuke’s throat lightly and nuzzling his shoulder. Sasuke’s blood spiked with heat at Naruto’s touch and words, but he was a _professional_ , and could not be swayed.

“I’m busy,” Sasuke argued, shrugging the blonde off of him. “Hana, tell him we’re busy.” She was the only one ballsy enough to put Naruto in his place.

“Uh, well,” Hana said to that with a grin, looking over from where she and the other three girls were huddled, “we’re actually pretty much done here-”

“Perfect!” Naruto declared, looking victorious. “Tea it is!”

“Naruto, I’m feeling far too sick for tea,” he growled. Honestly! Just the thought of their little café around the corner made him feel- _oh_. Oh! Actually, he felt…fine. He frowned, focusing inwards for a minute. Did he really feel okay at the moment? _That_ was new.

“Tea will help,” Naruto went on. “And you can come back to work right after-”

“Fine,” Sasuke said abruptly, pushing back from his desk. “Let’s go.”

“-oh,” Naruto blinked. “Really?” He looked shocked to be getting his own way. It didn’t happen all that often. But his surprise quickly gave way to glee. He grinned at Sasuke and grabbed his hand. “Okay, let’s go!”

“Do you three want anything?” Sasuke called out to his team as Naruto tugged him towards the door.

There was a little squeal and gasp of surprise from the corner. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Oh, come on, he was just offering them some cake- no need to act like _that_. So what if he’d been a little grumpy with them all these past few weeks?

“Truly?” cried Mao, before she was quickly hushed by Yuki.

“We’re fine, boss,” Yuki maintained, shooting a look at her two underlings. There was a soft cry of despair from Hana and Mao.

“Right,” Sasuke said with a nod. “Matcha cupcakes it is.” The cry of despair turned to one of joy.

“Aww, you’re so good to them,” Naruto exclaimed as they made their way out of the building. “No wonder you’ve got them all under your thumb!”

Sasuke frowned. No, the secret was getting them while they were young and training them. All three had been chuunin when Sasuke recruited them into the tower and put them to work. Under his watchful eye they’d become the perfect team to ensure everything ran just the way he wanted it to- just the way it _needed_ to, for Naruto to be the kind of Hokage he was. Matcha cupcakes had nothing to do with that. 

“We’re just having tea,” Sasuke instructed, lacing his fingers through Naruto’s and running through the café’s extensive menu in his head. He might treat himself with some _gyokuro_ today. “And then we’re coming right back here, okay?”

“Of course, Sas,” Naruto agreed. “Some tea and a bit of cake, and maybe some sandwiches. Oh, and a quick make-out session before we leave. Then we’ll come right back here!”

Sasuke sighed, feeling his resolve weaken. Naruto had the private, secluded booth at the back of the café permanently reserved under his name. Oh yes, it hadn’t taken Naruto long at _all_ once they’d started dating to learn how to put Sasuke in the mood.

… _damn him_ , Sasuke thought, gripping Naruto’s hand tighter and blushing slightly. _He’s not nearly as idiotic as he seems sometimes_.

***

Sasuke lay on the couch with his head propped in Naruto’s lap, staring out at the garden. For the first time in weeks he felt perfectly relaxed; the way Naruto’s fingers were running through his hair and petting his face had almost put him to sleep.

“Feels nice,” he purred, his voice soft and easy as he glanced up at Naruto’s warm, comforting smile.

“Good,” Naruto said in reply, his smile turning into a cheeky grin. He picked up one of Sasuke’s hands and pressed his lips against it, lingering there for a moment until Sasuke made a small, content noise in the back of his throat.

They were having a lazy Sunday after a difficult few weeks. The morning sickness had eased, but was most definitely still _present_ , and Sasuke had never felt more tired in his life. He’d still been going to work every day- of course he was- but thanks to the insistence of his staff and some rather unabashed begging, he’d taken to cutting his days short and heading home in the afternoon.

At this exact moment he was too relaxed to care; but at most other times he’d been _very_ bothered by just how much this had all affected him. He’d been maintaining the clone for almost three months now, and each day it took a little more chakra to do so. It was still well within his limits, but if he looked ahead to the next six months…well. He had to admit, it was making him feel _anxious._

The clone itself was exhausted and sore, with stiff muscles and strange aches and pains. Sasuke had assumed he’d have no problem learning how to put a barrier between himself and the clone if he really put his mind to it, but it was continuing to be a lot harder than he thought. The physic link between them was very strong.

But no, right now he didn’t mind- he’d let all that go for today and was just taking it easy. So what if he were a _man_ , experiencing all these feelings? Stranger things had happened in his life (and he wasn’t even kidding. This barely cracked the top three).

“Um, Sasuke?” Naruto asked him, pulling his attention back to the present. “What’s the clone doing down here?”

Sasuke turned his head to see Naruto gazing at the clone. She was making her way down the stairs to the kitchen, opening the fridge when she arrived and pulling out a bowl of leftover pasta and some orange juice.

“She’s hungry,” Sasuke said, shrugging.  And both he _and_ the clone were very sick of those soldier pills. He couldn’t be bothered taking food up to her, and the craving for real, solid food was just too much work to ignore. It wasn’t worth it. She had legs. She could get what she wanted herself.

“Shouldn’t we heat that up?” Naruto said as the clone sat at the table and dug into the cold pasta. “I was reading in the book about food safety…”

Sasuke considered this, and the clone paused with a fork halfway to her mouth. But the rich smell of tomatoes was wafting up from the bowl and driving Sasuke wild, and he knew that nothing could stop the clone from eating every strand of pasta _right now_.

“Next time,” Sasuke promised, and the clone resumed eating.

“Well, it doesn’t have any meat in it, so it’s probably okay,” Naruto said to that.

Sasuke glanced up at Naruto, feeling a vague and rare sense of admiration and appreciation for the blonde wash over him. How _responsible_ of him, to have actually read and remembered all those things. Sasuke had tried, but it all seemed too…frightening.

They lay in silence while the clone ate her cold pasta and orange juice. Both Sasuke and the clone felt a lot better for it. Then she got up and headed back for the stairs, and once again Naruto’s eyes followed after her.

“I think she looks even skinner than before,” he observed. “She doesn’t seem _pregnant_ at all.”

“Throwing up every day will do that to you,” Sasuke said back, his voice still relaxed and neutral. “But actually, there _have_ been some changes. Her, um, chest is bigger,” he explained.

Naruto blinked. “Is it really?”

“And _sore_ ,” Sasuke whined. It was the strangest feeling of all, suddenly having the sensation of pain in body parts that he himself did not actually possess.

He turned away from Naruto and looked back out through the veranda doors. They had a nice view of the vegetable garden from here- the vegetable garden that they’d both been neglecting this past month.

“But you still can’t _feel_ it yet, can you?” Naruto went on after a while. “The, um…”

“Little _San_?” Sasuke teased. _We need to do some weeding,_ he thought to himself. Their spring vegetables must be chocking. And maybe there’d be enough for a small harvest…a fresh salad sounded awfully good right now.

Naruto laughed. “Yeah. Little San-chan. Ha. The book said it’s too early to feel any movement. Isn’t that strange though? We’re almost one-third through, and really all that’s happened is throwing up.”

“And the muscle pains,” Sasuke added with a wry smile. “Don’t forget about that.”

“We need to work more on your barrier skills,” Naruto suggested. “I don’t know why you’re so bad at it. I’m just _shocked_ , Sasuke, really!” he sang.

Sasuke scoffed. “You can’t expect me to be a genius at _everything_.” And it was very difficult! It was like learning how to ignore the existence of your own arms or legs.

“Can’t I? You’re an _Uchiha_ , aren’t you?” Naruto said to that. “So disappointing, Sasuke. Anyway. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Actually, there is,” Sasuke said. “I have no intention of moving from this couch all day, but I’d love it if _you_ went and weeded the garden.”

Naruto chuckled. “Oh, right, I see how it is. Well, as it happens I was just thinking to myself that _someone_ really ought to do some weeding.”

“So you’ll do it? Good,” Sasuke went on. “And, I’d appreciate if you…took your shirt off first.”

Naruto gazed down at him and Sasuke blushed slightly, but remained firm. Hey, Naruto had _offered_ to help, and the sight of Naruto wandering around in the sun half-naked would _really_ help.

“Topless gardening, huh,” Naruto teased, poking Sasuke’s cheeks. “I’m sure I can manage that.”

“Good,” Sasuke repeated. Yes, that would be very helpful indeed.

***

**Bonus: A Guide to Konoha in Peace-Time**

Running a hidden village in peace-time is no easy task, especially when said village has- essentially- been in war mode for _decades_ (forever, even). Naruto and Sasuke got some interesting ideas during their post- _Lost on the Road of Life_ travels about what things could be like- what things _should_ be like. They spent almost two years travelling between the hidden villages, sometimes working with the leadership there- doing missions, training with their shinobi- sometimes just living there for a while, observing. They spent a whole six months in Suna working with Gaara.

Kakashi was just fine as a Hokage, but he was a seasoned shinobi and always looking for the next big disaster. When Naruto and Sasuke decided to stay in Konoha they set to work making changes, and are making even more now as Hokage and “shadow king” (as people call Sasuke behind his back). Civilian and shinobi children attend pre-school and the first two years of school together. There’s a bit of ninja instruction but not too much. After that, students can go to the Academy if they want to.

Students have to stay at the Academy until they’re fourteen, and then they spend a minimum of two years as genin before they can take the chuunin exam. They have to pass a whole range of tests before they can even do that- and the exam itself is quite different, testing a much wider range of skills. As chuunin, they have more speciality options now than ever before- more non-combat and non-violent options especially.

With less missions available, Konoha has come up with a lot of other ways to make money over the years. It’s a little-known fact that Naruto was actually responsible for importing _Chakra-Ball_ into Suna and then into Konoha as well. Chakra-Ball is now the world’s first professional shinobi spectator sport and the matches draw huge crowds. Even civilians from other towns and cities come to watch the games- Konoha stadium is set outside the walls. Konoha is currently second on the leader-board. A legion of young shinobi now dream of being sports stars instead of ninja.

There are more outsiders in Konoha as well these days. There’s a very small and highly regulated tourism industry. The ANBU still _hate_ this- it’s a lot of work for them, monitoring the comings and goings of tourists. There’s a new Konoha hospital outside the walls that accepts civilians, and trains future medic-nin who will move away from Konoha eventually.

Naruto puts a lot of work into making Konoha a good place to live. It has much more community spirit now, and that community incorporates _everyone_ , both shinobi and civilians. There aren’t any orphans and there are whole departments in the civilian branch of the government that take care of social concerns. The civilian government is slowly becoming democratically-elected. The shinobi side of things still isn’t: ninjas don’t like that sort of thing. Not _yet,_ anyway.

Of course there is still a lot of tension and a fair amount of anxiety about Konoha’s future. No-one can rule out future conflicts, but everyone’s working hard to maintain peace between the hidden villages. Konoha still focuses on training strong shinobi to safe-guard that peace, and violent missions are still common.

It took Naruto and Sasuke a long time to decide to stay in Konoha, and an even longer time to feel comfortable with that decision. But they _did_ stay, and here is where they’ll raise their family.

***


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: PREGNANCY HORMONES. Yes. So in other words, **NSFW incoming**. Also, this chapter includes **both NaruSasu AND SasuNaru** (just a heads up for my NaruSasu purists!)

The first three months finally came to an end- the first _trimester_ , Naruto called it. And as promised, the nausea and aches ended with it. The first morning that Sasuke woke up and realised he was feeling perfectly _healthy_ , he was so excited that he woke Naruto up at once and dragged the blonde into the shower with him for a- well, a _celebration_. Naruto had been most amused, but more than happy to oblige. They were very late for work that morning.

Surprisingly, that seemed to be the new pattern of things. Sasuke suddenly had an awful lot of energy, of _all_ kinds. It was helpful, and he was managing to catch up on the work he’d missed in the past few weeks. But more than anything else…his body was abruptly demanding a _lot_ more time with Naruto wrapped around him. And as Sasuke arched up against him one morning, crying out and trembling, he wondered what on _earth_ was going on.

Oh sure, sex for them was still a once-a-day thing…usually. Not counting the past month and a half of course. And…maybe sometimes they got lazy. They’d been pretty busy since Naruto became Hokage, after all, so maybe they’d let that slide a bit. They’d been together for _nine years_ , after all.

But this week? All that was out the window. They were back to three times a day, no exceptions.

“You know there’s a reason, don’t you?” Naruto teased, as he peppered Sasuke’s stomach with little kisses. “Why you’re feeling particularly _energetic_ this week?”

“Is that the word for it?” Sasuke smirked, gazing down at Naruto and running his hands through his hair. “But go ahead then, what’s your explanation?” Privately Sasuke just figured it was _relief_. Really, wouldn’t _anyone_ feel like this after being sick every day for the past month?

“It’s hormones,” Naruto said, resting his chin on Sasuke’s chest. “Of the randy kind.”

Sasuke scoffed. _Randy_ hormones? Honestly. “Oh come on, Naruto,” he said, reaching out and flicking his nose.

“It’s true!” Naruto maintained. “It’s all in the book, which you _still_ haven’t bothered to read. Your clone’s body is _flooded_ with them at the moment. And since you also still haven’t learned how to barricade yourself from it…”

Ohh, what judgement! Sasuke _would_ learn, eventually. Just like he’d read that book…eventually.

“That’s ridiculous,” Sasuke commented. “Why on earth would someone who’s _pregnant_ just want sex all the time? Isn’t it- counterproductive?”

Naruto shrugged, nuzzling into Sasuke’s skin, circling a tongue lazily around his left nipple. Sasuke groaned softly, feeling himself starting to respond again. “Er, well, there _was_ an explanation in the book,” Naruto went on, “but it all got a little too technical. Um, but there were some nice pictures of what little Shi-chan should look like now. Almost like an actual baby!”

 _Hmm. Maybe I **should** read the book_ , Sasuke thought to himself; but his attention was quickly diverted from that idea when he felt Naruto’s hand sneaking down between his legs. His blood spiked with heat at once.

“You have a meeting this morning,” the responsible part of him murmured, even as he groaned and tugged at Naruto’s hair. “You promised Shikamaru you wouldn’t be late… _mm_ , Naruto…”

“I’ll make it quick, then,” Naruto teased, dropping a kiss at the base of his stomach and then heading further south. “I couldn’t possibly leave you like _this_.”

Sasuke moaned and arched upwards as Naruto took him into his mouth. “ _Ohh_ , okay…” he gasped out. “If you insist…”

And if this hormonal flood continued, Naruto would just have to be late for a few more meetings as well. Some things were just more important.

***

After another week of that, Sasuke made the wise decision that now was the right time to take a vacation. They still had that overnight stay at the onsen that Sasuke had bought for their anniversary- they’d just been far too busy and distracted to use it. Sasuke quietly had it extended into a three-night stay and informed his staff that the Hokage would be out of town for a while.

“We haven’t been here in _ages_!” Naruto exclaimed happily as the made their way up the mountain to the private onsen retreat. “Hey, remember that one time in winter…”

Sasuke blushed, his mind suddenly flooded with very visceral memories of what they’d done on _that_ particular trip. Whenever they came here they booked the whole place out, and even the staff only stopped by to drop off their meals.  And so they were completely alone in the middle of nowhere, and yes, they took advantage of that fact- thoroughly.

“It’s been far too long,” Sasuke agreed with a curt nod. “The burden of being Hokage, hey?”

Naruto grinned. “I suppose so. I can’t _wait_. I’ve been dreaming of you in those yukatas for months!”

Sasuke’s blush deepened. “Naruto!” he cried, remembering the varied uses they’d put those yukatas to in the past. “You _haven’t_!”

“I considered getting them to send me one for you to wear around the house,” Naruto informed him gravely and without shame. “Honestly, if I had my way you’d wear nothing but a yukata or kimono every day.”

“That would be _so_ much work,” Sasuke said with a sigh. “And I’d make _you_ do it as well, just so you know.”

“Ah, I wouldn’t mind!” Naruto said to that. “I like them! They’re so comfy.”

Well, they _would_ be, with the way Naruto wore them- the belt all loose and the whole ensemble falling open at the chest, sliding off his shoulders. …Sasuke suddenly felt his mouth go dry and he sped up, dragging Naruto behind him. Oh, it had been _far_ too long since they’d gone away together!

***

Naruto groaned as he floated on his back in the outdoor onsen. “Well, you did it,” he whined to Sasuke. “You finally wore me out.”

“Would you stop floating and just sit down like a normal person?” Sasuke instructed, rolling his eyes. “And _I’m_ not tired, so you better get your strength back before dinner!”

“I’m not coming anywhere _near_ you,” Naruto said to that, rolling over and paddling to the opposite side of the onsen. “Not if you want me to recover my strength!”

Sasuke burst into giggles at that. Naruto just looked so _traumatised_ , the poor thing. Well, he’d done admirably so far, so perhaps he deserved a rest.

“I wonder what they’ll give us for dinner?” Sasuke asked, thinking that some salmon-roe sashimi would go very nicely at the moment. With just the tiniest bit of wasabi, just on the end, and a bit of pickled ginger. Oh, and some miso soup with little clams in it, and maybe some chocolate ice-cream as well.

“Hey, Sasuke, you’re drooling,” Naruto teased, and when Sasuke came back to earth he found Naruto smirking at him from across the water. “I don’t care _what_ they bring for dinner, as long as there’s a _lot_ of it!”

“Chicken katsu-don,” Sasuke announced, biting his lip. “That’s what I want.”

“Ha! At a fancy onsen resort? I’d say that’s as likely as me getting _ramen_.”

“That’s what I _want_ , though,” Sasuke pouted. “And some lemon cheesecake as well.”

“…really?” Naruto said, staring over at him doubtfully. “You want _dessert_?”

“Yes,” Sasuke said, crossing his arms across his chest and narrowing his eyes.

Naruto blinked. “…oh my god,” he exclaimed. “Sasuke, you’re having cravings!”

Sasuke scoffed at that. “I am not,” he shot back. Come on, wasn’t he allowed to want just a little dessert without it being linked to the fact that his clone was pregnant? That had nothing to do with it!

“I don’t think they’re going to bring us cheesecake,” Naruto said to that, swimming over to him.

“Well, that’s what I want,” Sasuke grumbled. How many times did he have to say it? “And oranges, too.”

Naruto frowned. “Oh, but…I guess we could try leaving them a note? They might bring some tomorrow. I’m sure they would, if we gave them enough warning.”

“Good,” Sasuke said with a satisfied nod. And now that Naruto was back within reach… He pushed himself up in the water and slid over, seating himself on Naruto’s lap and wrapping his arms around those broad shoulders. “Hi,” he purred, leaning down to nuzzle his neck.

“Oops, you caught me,” Naruto groaned, inclining his head to bare his throat. “Well played, Sasuke,” he added.

“Thank you,” Sasuke said with a satisfied murmur. He grabbed onto Naruto’s hands and manoeuvred them around his waist, wriggling around until Naruto pressed his fingers along the line of his spine. Then he went back to Naruto’s throat, biting down and sucking hard on a pulse-point.

Naruto took a sharp breath and rolled his hips upwards, much to Sasuke’s delight. “Maybe one more round before dinner,” he panted, digging his fingers into Sasuke’s thighs and pushing them apart so that Sasuke fell further down on him.

“ _Two_ rounds,” Sasuke breathed, tugging on Naruto’s hair and then biting back down on his neck.

“So much faith in my ability to perform, Sas,” Naruto said with a moan, rolling his hips once more and sliding his hands higher up Sasuke’s thighs. “I’ll do my best, if _you_ do that thing with your tongue…”

Sasuke pulled back from Naruto’s throat and grinned. “Oh you’ve got yourself a _deal_ , Naruto Uzumaki,” he leered, twisting out of the blonde’s grasp and making his way out of the water. “We’d better get started, then!”

***

Sasuke woke in the middle of the night and gazed around him, confused and disorientated for a few moments. But then he remembered where he was and he smiled, relaxing at once.

It was just so _nice_ to get away for a while- for it to be just _them_ for a few days. Ever since Naruto had become Hokage there’d been people after him at all hours of the day, demanding his time and attention.

Sasuke bore that with as much grace as he could. Both he and Naruto had known what they were doing when they decided to stay in Konoha. Indeed, both knew that building a life for themselves in Konoha would be impossible unless they had goals. Konoha’s failings stood out to them in stark relief after two years away. Sasuke had so much that he wanted to change, and Naruto had so much he wanted to accomplish. They’d worked hard and got themselves where they needed to be in order to make those changes happen. It was all finally paying off.

Sasuke shifted around in his futon staring up at the roof. He wasn’t at _all_ tired. In fact he was feeling quite…dissatisfied. He rolled over and snuggled closer to Naruto’s side, moulding himself against the curve of his back and cuddling into his neck. Naruto sighed softly in his sleep as Sasuke slipped an arm around his middle, holding him close.

He bit his lip to keep from moaning. Even just pressing up against him like this, having Naruto in his arms felt amazing. Knowing that Naruto was _his_ …it took his breath away, sometimes.

“Naruto?” Sasuke called, tugging at the ties of Naruto’s yukata until they came undone and sliding a hand through the folds, running up and down the flat plane of his stomach. “Naruto…are you awake?”

Naruto stirred, breathing softly and pressing back against Sasuke’s chest. “ _Mm_ ,” he murmured. “What is it, Sas? Something wrong?”

Sasuke laid his head on Naruto’s back, placing a soft, open-mouthed kiss to his skin. “Nothing’s wrong,” he said back, nipping his way up to the top of his shoulder-blade. “I’m just…you know.”

Naruto chuckled under his breath. “Again?” he said with a yawn. “You’re a marvel, you know that?”

“Well, I _do_ know,” Sasuke said to that. He pulled more of Naruto’s yukata away, caressing his bare skin and reaching down between his thighs. “But you’re not too bad yourself. I just can’t resist you…”

Naruto let out a groan as Sasuke’s fingers played lightly up and down his length. Sasuke could feel him responding under his touch. Good, he was _interested_. “Oh, but I’m so _tired_ , Sasuke,” he whined, even as he moved his hips forward, pushing himself into Sasuke’s hand. “It won’t be very good…”

“You don’t have to do anything,” Sasuke promised, nipping his shoulder again and reaching behind him to grab the bottle they’d left beside the futons. “You just have to let _me_ do whatever I want.”

“Mm? Sasuke, what do you… _ohh_ ,” Naruto groaned, when Sasuke slipped a finger inside him without warning. “Oh, okay…” he purred, happily letting Sasuke push his legs further apart to give him better access.

“It’s been a while,” Sasuke breathed as he moved his finger in and out and added a second. So _tight_ and hot. “Is it…you don’t mind?”

“I’ll grin and bear it,” Naruto said to that, twisting his torso so he could smirk up at Sasuke, tugging his face down to kiss him. “Ohh, do that again, Sas, curl your fingers just like that… _yes_ ,” he moaned, his skin flushing red in pleasure as he moved against Sasuke’s hand.

Sasuke leaned down to kiss him again, running his tongue along his mouth and sucking gently on his bottom lip. A rush of heat went right through him and he slipped a third finger into Naruto’s entrance, feeling immensely impatient and full of need to just take him _now_. “Naruto,” he panted. “ _Mmm_ , you feel so _good_ …”

“Pass me the bottle,” Naruto ordered, and when Sasuke did he quickly slicked up his hand and reached behind him, sliding his fingers up and down Sasuke’s length. “You- you can do it now,” he gasped, breathing heavily, his chest heaving up and down.

Sasuke intended to do just that; he couldn’t wait any longer. He removed his fingers and quickly pushed into Naruto, holding on tight to his hips, panting and straining. Naruto groaned and pushed right back against him, and arching his spine. Sasuke felt a wave of desire overcome him and he slid all the way inside, draping a leg around Naruto’s thigh and twining them together. “ _God,_ Naruto,” he moaned, lost in the sensation.

“Keep going Sasuke, _please_ ,” Naruto begged, “I can’t- ohh _yes_ , like that, _mm_ …” he added, making a deep-throated sound of pleasure that had Sasuke trembling and thrusting into him harder.

If Naruto kept making sounds like _that_ , Sasuke wasn’t going to last long at _all._ He quickly turned his attention back to the hand he had curled around Naruto’s length, rubbing up and down and drawing another groan from the blonde. Sasuke applied himself to his task, setting a fast pace, groaning softly and biting down on Naruto’s shoulder. Oh, he couldn’t _bear_ this, it just felt too _good_ , he-

-he was filled with light, his body sparking of electricity and the world spinning around him.

“Sa- Sasuke, _oh_ -” Naruto cried, spilling into Sasuke’s hand, arching back against him, and then Sasuke was _lost_. He squeezed his eyes shut and buried his head in Naruto’s shoulder, his movements becoming jagged as the heat took over him and he came _hard_.

“ _Naruto_ ,” he whimpered, holding on tight, overwhelmed, “mm, yes, _yes_ …”

“…god,” Naruto breathed, groaning and untwisting their limbs, stretching out.

Sasuke slipping out of him gently, completely worn out. “You’re amazing,” he murmured to Naruto, leaning over him and pressing their lips together, their breaths mingling as they panted softly. “Thank you…”

“Anything for you, kitten,” Naruto said to that, yawning and falling back down on his futon, pulling the blankets back up around them both. “Wanna go again?” he added, but despite his words his voice tapered off at the end, and within a minute he was fast asleep by Sasuke’s side once more.

“Couldn’t even if I wanted to,” Sasuke purred, settling down next to him, adjusting his yukata. He was perfectly content now and ready for a proper night’s sleep. He hoped Naruto wouldn’t be _too_ sore in the morning; he could be _such_ a baby about that.

***

“You’re a monster,” Naruto whined as he paddled around the onsen the next morning with a pained look on his face. “It _hurts_!” he added with an undignified little cry, throwing a betrayed look in Sasuke’s direction.

“If you let me do it more often, it wouldn’t hurt as much,” Sasuke calmly said back, rolling his eyes. He turned his attention back to washing his hair. He wasn’t entirely un-sympathetic of course, but he also felt reasonably confident that Naruto would recover before too long- he always did.

Naruto looked horrified at Sasuke’s words. “More often?! You want to do it _more?!”_ he exclaimed, paddling further away from Sasuke- a pointless endeavour, since Sasuke was in fact not yet in the water, and was therefore no threat to Naruto’s rear-end.

Sasuke grinned and Naruto blanched. “I think your cute little butt is safe from me,” he teased, pouring a bucket of water over himself. “As lovely as it is, and as enjoyable as last night was.”

“Ah, well,” Naruto said to that, looking most relieved. “Yes, it was very nice. Though quite unexpected.”

Unexpected for _him_ , as well; Sasuke hadn’t exactly _planned_ it, he’d just woken up and it happened. He would be very gentle with his man for the next few days to make up for the shock of it all. Sasuke grinned to himself as he got to his feet and headed for the water.

And then he froze, his attention suddenly drawn inward. Something was- wait, what was _that_?

“Sasuke?” Naruto called, swimming up to the side of the onsen and staring up at him in alarm. “What’s wrong?”

Sasuke frowned. He…he didn’t know. “I felt something,” he said. “I mean, the- the _clone_ felt something.”

Naruto looked horrified. “A _bad_ something?!” he demanded. “We need to go home at once-”

“Just- hang on a moment, Naruto,” Sasuke interjected. He closed his eyes and stood there focusing inwards, focusing on what the clone was feeling. There it was again. A _flutter_ , almost like a tiny little muscle spasm, but- different. Such a small feeling, but he was sure it was new.

“Sasuke, talk to me!” Naruto cried. “What’s _wrong_?”

Sasuke opened his eyes and gazed down at him. “Nothing,” he said. “I think I…I think she’s feeling the baby move.”

Naruto’s eyes opened wide in surprise, and for several silent moments they both stared at each other in disbelief, the shock written on both their faces. And then the next moment Naruto was out of the water and gripping Sasuke tight, laughing and grinning like an idiot- and Sasuke was laughing and grinning right back.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was asked in the comments about what Sasuke might so if he weren't a shinobi...and I really have no idea...! What do you guys think? I can picture Naru as so many things (farming, construction, ramen chef, kindergarten teacher...) but Sasuke is another matter...! Any ideas?


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhh well I hope I didn't leave you all too traumatized with that bit of SasuNaru in the last chapter!! If you're in need of a SasUKE fix to set you straight, check out my latest NSFW one-shot for our Sasukins in all his bottoming glory:  
> ["Sasuke's Amazing Aussie Christmas Adventure".](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5763082)
> 
> And I have a treat for all my beloved readers as well!! Since so much of this fic takes place in Sasuke and Naruto's house, I decided to design it in _The Sims_ to help us all (including myself) visualise it a little better! You can see more pictures on [my tumblr](http://shherie.tumblr.com/post/137814566325/naruto-sasukes-house-part-1-of-3), and larger images [here!](http://imgur.com/a/cgfOv) Enjoy!!
> 
>  
> 
> Also, warning: the following chapter features Sasuke talking to cats. A LOT.

“It’s just such a strange feeling,” Sasuke said to Ginger as she lay stretched out on his stomach. He reached out and scratched her ears, running his hand all along her back.

“Mer?” Ginger said back to him, opening her eyes and gazing upwards, arching her back.

“Well, I don’t mean the baby moving,” Sasuke explained. It had happened a few times in the week after the onsen, and now it happened about once a day. “No, I just mean…if this actually _works_ , then…we’ll have a _baby_.”

“Mer,” Ginger agreed, closing her eyes again and turning her face away, curling up into a tighter ball on top of him, fluffy tail disappearing underneath her.

Sasuke sighed. Obviously his concerns were not riveting enough to hold the feline’s attention. “Do _you_ care?” he called down to Ao who was lying on his feet, stretched out and twisted around his legs.

Ao didn’t respond, but she _did_ reach out and lick his ankle…whatever _that_ was meant to mean.

He sighed again. Had he really gone into this whole thing without any faith that it would _work_? How…irresponsible of him. What was he planning to do when the baby arrived? _If_ it arrived. It could all still go wrong, obviously. There were no guarantees.

…and yet. They were at almost four months and really, there’d been no problems. Yes, it was taking more chakra than anticipated to maintain the clone and keep her in good health, but it wasn’t taking too _much_ chakra. Everything was going very well, in the big scheme of things. Sakura said the baby was healthy. It was the right size and had all the parts you’d expect at this stage. It was developing well and hitting all the right milestones. 

“No,” Sasuke said to Ginger, shifting on the couch and siting up. Ginger slid to the side and looked up at him with startled eyes. “It’s not that I didn’t think it would work- logically, I knew that it _could_ work- it’s just that I’d convinced myself that it _wouldn’t_.”

Ginger narrowed her eyes at him, looking highly offended. Probably that was because she’d just been tipped off her warm, comfy perch so abruptly, but maybe she was _also_ offended by Sasuke’s confession. “ _Mraw_ ,” she growled grumpily, turning around and facing away from him, swishing her tail angrily.

“Yeah, well, what if something happened and we _lost_ it?” Sasuke growled back, reaching over and picking up Ao instead. Maybe _she’d_ be more reasonable. “I’m just saying, it’s safer to assume that things will go wrong. To be _prepared_ for it.”

He held Ao up in front of him, her legs dangling lazily down in the air. “Mrr,” Ao purred, swatting her little paws at him until Sasuke brought her closer and put her down in his lap.

Oh, he was an idiot. He _knew_ he was.  At the moment he was more prepared for things to go _wrong_ than he was to have an actual baby in his arms. “I _do_ want one,” he assured Ao. “Obviously. I wouldn’t have agreed to it if I didn’t want a kid! What do you take me for?”

Ao just purred and pushed her head further into Sasuke’s hand until he obliged and started petting her properly. Ao liked being scratched under her chin the best, so Sasuke slipped his fingers under her head, digging into her lovely calico fur.

“…I just figured it wouldn’t work, and then we could say, _oh well, we tried_ , and then we’d just adopt like normal people.” He fell to the back of the couch heavily and closed his eyes. What on earth would he do with a baby that was half him, and half Naruto? Whose eyes would it have? Whose face? Would it be like Naruto, all smiles and sunshine and happiness, or would it be like… _him_?

He groaned. There was no point worrying about all this now. He should get back to work: Naruto had made him promise to practice his barrier skills tonight. Sasuke was still useless at cutting off sensations from the clone.

The difficulty lay in the fact that even though you were shutting off the _physic_ link, the _physical_ link still needed to be impeccably maintained. That was crucially important, since it was constantly diverting some of your own chakra to the clone’s body. To be honest, Sasuke was having a hard time distinguishing between the two. So it had been almost four months; and as a result Sasuke had spent the whole time feeling like he was in two places at once.

“Look, it’s not that bad,” he explained to Ao. “Shinobi have to put up with all kinds of weird feelings. You wouldn’t _believe_ how difficult it is to hang upside-down from a tree branch and convince yourself you’re not going to fall.”

Ao looked unimpressed- as she well might. Who was Sasuke trying to convince here? No, it wasn’t _bad_ , being able to feel everything the clone felt, see everything the clone saw. It was just _odd_.

In any case, he wasn’t going to make any progress just _talking_ about it. He closed his eyes and steadied his breath. He tried to visualise the chakra link between himself and the clone upstairs. If he tried, he could follow the energy leaving his body and entering her’s. The physic link, on the other hand, was much harder to visualise. And he-

“-oh, daddy’s home,” Sasuke said, opening his eyes and sitting up straighter. There in the back of his mind was that unique little spark of chakra that told Sasuke where Naruto was. It was getting stronger, so that meant that Naruto was done with his monthly boy’s night at Kiba’s and was just around the corner. “Good,” Sasuke added. “Now I don’t have to do _this_ anymore.”

“I’m home,” came Naruto’s voice from the front door a few minutes later. “Sasuke?”

“We’re in here,” Sasuke called back, and soon Naruto was peeking his head into the room. “How was it?” he asked, scratching Ao’s belly.

“It was great,” Naruto grinned, moving over to him, giving Ginger a quick pat on the head as he made to sit down. “We played poker tonight. I lost every game.”

“I’m sure you did,” Sasuke said to that, shifting over to make room for Naruto on the couch and then snuggling into his arms, giving him a welcome-home kiss.

“And how’s my favourite kitten doing?” Naruto cooed, rubbing their noses together. The two cats instantly glanced up at him with looks of intense betrayal in their eyes.

“Oh, come on,” Sasuke said to them, feeling pleased and smug. “Don’t pretend you don’t know that he likes _me_ the best.”

“I’ll pay for that one later,” Naruto commented, pulling him closer and kissing him again, a little deeper this time, nipping his bottom lip. “And how was _your_ night? Did you make any progress?”

Sasuke considered lying- but Naruto would almost certainly be able to tell, damn him. Naruto just knew him too well now. “A little,” he said instead. That wasn’t a total lie- it might slip through his defences.

“We’ll practice some more before bed then,” Naruto announced cheerfully. “Okay, tell me where you’re up to!”

Sasuke’s face fell. “I don’t _want_ to practice anymore!” he scowled. “Why should I? Why does it even _matter_?!”

Naruto grinned. “You may not feel pregnant _now_ , but you will when the clone gets further alone. Do you _really_ want to go through that- feeling like a pregnant _man_?”

“…no,” Sasuke sulked, pulling away from him and crossing his arms. But what difference did it make? What they were doing was unorthodox by any reckoning. Sasuke had created a clone, the clone had made itself female, and had then gotten pregnant. “Everything’s fine the way it is,” he went on.

“Right, and when the clone goes into labour? How about _then_?” Naruto teased, sneaking his hands down Sasuke’s sides and tickling his skin.

…ah. He might have a point there. “I could handle it,” Sasuke grumbled, swatting Naruto’s fingers away.

“Even when there’s a baby pushing out of your _female area_?” Naruto continued.

Sasuke paled. “I could _handle_ it,” he repeated. And wouldn’t it be safer that way? It was definitely safer _now_ , to be aware of the clone at all times.

“Shall I tell you what I think the problem is?” Naruto suggested, shifting over so they were touching again, kissing his nose lightly, licking the tip. “Hmm?”

“Go ahead,” Sasuke said gruffly. That would be _interesting_ , if nothing else.

“You’re a control freak,” Naruto explained, matter-of-factly. “You don’t want to cut off your link with the clone because you want to control everything, at all times.”

“Naruto, that is _not_ true!” Sasuke scowled. “And it’s not like I’m watching what she’s doing every second of the day- I have my own life, you know!”

“Right, but what if something went _wrong_?” Naruto went on in a sing-song voice. “What if the clone suddenly _felt_ something and you missed it? What if the clone fell down the stairs? What if it forgot to eat a meal, or didn’t get its three litres of water a day?”

“You’re _crazy_ ,” Sasuke muttered. The clone was perfectly competent and could take care of herself- she certainly wasn’t going to fall down the stairs!

“Oh, I’m sure you’ve thought worse,” Naruto continued. “What if by cutting off the psychic link, you damage the physical one as well? What if you severed the psychic link _permanently_? What if the clone popped out of existence because you were _tampering_ with things?”

Sasuke froze. That- that wasn’t….he _hadn’t_ been thinking those things, of course not. Naruto was _insane_! “Well now I’m never practicing _again!_ ” he shrieked. “What awful things to say, Naruto!”

Naruto nodded. “Ah right, so none of this had occurred to you.”

“ _No_ ,” Sasuke grumbled. At least not in those words. Not that… _succinctly_. No, he’d never been able to express his fears the way Naruto just had.

Naruto slipped his arm around Sasuke’s body and tugged him to his side, and Sasuke reluctantly let his head fall to Naruto’s shoulder. He took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut, wishing he could forget the whole damn thing.

“It’s hard, I know it is Sas. This has never been done before…well, that we know of! You _must_ be frightened. _I_ am.”

“I’m fine,” Sasuke mumbled, trembling slightly in Naruto’s arms. How dare he put all those horrible ideas in his head, that- that- moron!

“I really think it’s important that you _try_ ,” Naruto went on.

“Not a chance in hell,” Sasuke shot back. “Make me try again and I’ll kick you in the balls.”

Naruto burst out laughing and he pressed a sloppy wet kiss to his forehead, lingering there for far longer than necessary. Oh, the nerve of this man! To say all those horrifying things, to put all of Sasuke’s fears in one neat little package like that- and to _smile_ while he did so, to _laugh_!

“And what are _you_ two looking at,” Sasuke growled, seeing the cats staring at him. “Knock it off!”

“Aww, they can’t help it,” Naruto said, ruffling his hair. “They just love you too much.”

“They _don’t_ ,” Sasuke snapped.

“If you say so,” Naruto said. “Well, _I_ love you too much.”

“Have you been drinking?” Sasuke scowled.

“A little,” Naruto said to that cheerfully. “Anyway! Let’s go have a nice relaxing bath. You look a little frazzled, kitten.”

“It’s your own fault,” Sasuke said back. “What did you expect?!”

“Mm, well, I might have been a little blunt,” Naruto admitted. “I’ll make it up to you. We’ll do whatever you want, all weekend.”

“We damn well better,” Sasuke shot, sliding out from under Naruto’s arms and heading for their bedroom.

“-as long as it includes some practicing,” Naruto added.

***

“It’s hopeless,” Sasuke whined, after more than an hour had gone by and he hadn’t made any progress at all. “I don’t understand how you can do it so easily!”

Naruto reached over and gave him a sympathetic pat on the head. “Oh you can’t compare yourself to _me_ , the great Naruto Uzumaki!” he declared.

Sasuke stood up and stormed out of their bedroom, shooting Naruto a vicious look over his shoulder. He could hear Naruto’s peals of laughter all the way to the kitchen. That idiot!

He growled to himself as he switched on the kettle and found his favourite mug. Black tea this morning, with lemon, yes. Strong, very strong. “You’re not getting any!” he snarled when Naruto came up to him and snuggled into his back.

“Aww,” Naruto whined, biting down on his earlobe. “Not even a sip of yours?”

“No,” Sasuke declared. “You don’t deserve a single drop!”

“But I’ve got such a good idea for what to do next,” Naruto went on. “And you really _shouldn’t_ compare yourself to me, I’ve been working with clones for more than half my life. I’m used to it.”

“Those were just normal clones in the beginning,” Sasuke argued, pouring boiling water into his mug with the tea-leaves. “Ones that popped away if you barely touched them!” Though, to be fair, the sheer amount of clones that Naruto dealt with even back then was…staggering. Imagine having your attention divided amongst one hundred pairs of eyes. No wonder Naruto had become adept at creating barriers.

“I can help you, Sasuke,” Naruto insisted, sneaking his hand around Sasuke’s waist and snatching his tea.

“Naruto!” Sasuke scowled. “If your good idea works out, I’ll make you some tea, but not before then!”

Naruto paused with the mug halfway to his mouth. “Oh, so you’ll try?” he exclaimed.

“Yes, I’ll try,” he snapped. “…stupid dead-last,” he muttered under his breath. He snatched his tea back out of the blonde’s hands and stalked off to the couch.

“Bring the clone down here,” Naruto instructed, seating himself right there on the couch as if Sasuke wasn’t furious with him.

“Fine,” Sasuke said with a sigh, blowing and sipping on his tea, and in a few moments the clone came down the stairs and stood in front of them.

Naruto reached out and pulled a stool, manoeuvring it in front of Sasuke. “Have a seat,” he said to the clone. “And you’ll have to put your tea down, Sas. Hold her hands.”

“Hold her hands?” Sasuke asked, incredulously. “Why?!”

“Mm, you’ll see!” Naruto answered with a cheerful grin.

Sasuke rolled his eyes but put his tea aside and did as he was instructed. _Might as well get this over and done with_ , he told himself.

“Close your eyes,” Naruto added, and Sasuke did so, with a growl. “Okay so, tell me. If you focus on where your hands are joining…can you tell where you end and the clone begins?”

 _What a stupid question_ , Sasuke growled to himself. Of course he could tell- _oh_. Except…he _couldn’t_ tell. “What on earth?” he exclaimed, starting to panic. That was insane!

“Thought so!” Naruto said. “The clone’s feeling of touching your hand is completely melding with your own feeling of touching _hers_. That’s your starting point, then- figure out how to tell that apart, and then you might have more luck with your barrier!”

“I don’t know how to do that,” Sasuke said.

“Well, start from your shoulder and move your focus down from there. You can tell which shoulder’s yours, can’t you?” he teased.

“Yes,” he muttered. He focused his attention on his right shoulder and worked his way down. All was going fine until he reached his wrist and then…it became the same muddled mess as before. “It’s not working,” he whined.

“Try again,” Naruto instructed, and Sasuke could hear a strange slurping sound accompanying his words.

“Naruto!” Sasuke exclaimed. “Are you drinking my tea?!”

“ _You’re_ not drinking it,” Naruto pointed out. “I’ll make you some more when you’re done.”

“And when will we be done?” he scowled.

“When you can reach the end of your own fingertips, and can do the same with the clone- and know it’s your clone’s hand that you’re feeling.”

Ridiculous. This whole thing was ridiculous. He didn’t know why he was bothering... _well, it’s not like I’ve got anything better to do,_ he thought to himself with a sigh. _Might as well give it a go._

And after a while…he finally got there.

“Good job, babe,” Naruto praised, grinning and giving him a peck on the cheek. “I knew you’d get it eventually.”

“Great,” Sasuke muttered. “I could tell which hand was mine. I’m so talented.”

“Baby steps, kitten!” Naruto said to that. “Okay, let’s get some more tea, and then we can do- whatever you want to do. That’s enough for today!”

“Good,” Sasuke growled.

He glanced over at the clock and was shocked by how much time had passed. He was impressed- how on earth had Naruto managed to sit there patiently by his side for that long?!

“Naruto,” he called. “Wait. Look at this.” Naruto turned and gazed over at him quizzingly, raising an eyebrow when the clone paused at the bottom of the stairs and pulled up its shirt.

“Uh, Sasuke?” he asked, the confusion clear in his voice.

“Look,” Sasuke said again, having the clone turn sideways. And there it was; it was subtle, but it was _there_ \- a slight but very definite rounding to her previously flat stomach. “See? There’s our little Shi.”

***

“Everything seems to be on track,” the obstetrician said to Sakura. “Good measurements. A little under average in size, but perfectly formed.”

“That’s great, Sasuke!” Sakura remarked, turning away from the screen to smile comfortingly at him.

“He’s too _small_ ,” Sasuke said, paraphrasing what Dr. Sato had just said. “What can we do about that?”

“Nothing,” Dr. Sato said to that.

“You just have to wait, Sasuke,” Sakura added. “It’ll get there. Ah, not _it_ \- what are we up to? San-chan?”

“It’s _Shi_ ,” Sasuke murmured. “…as of a few days ago.”

“Shi-chan,” Sakura and the doctor exclaimed in unison, exchanging smiles.

“Sixteen weeks is a big milestone,” Dr. Sato went on. “See how much more developed our little one is, even after just four more weeks?”

“I suppose so,” Sasuke said to that. He hadn’t come to the 12-week ultrasound, but Sakura had shown him and Naruto the pictures.

“Look at its wee little hands,” Sakura gushed at the black and white screen, stepping closer. “Aren’t they perfect? Oh, and the toes- Sasuke? Aren’t they lovely?”

“Mm,” Sasuke said back, squinting at the screen. So, it had hands and feet. It was a baby- _his_ baby. Just…great.

“What do you think of this, Haruno-sensei?” Dr. Sato said, pointing to something on the screen.

Sasuke instantly tensed and started to panic. “What is it, Sakura?” he demanded.

“Calm down, it’s fine,” Sakura said over her shoulder, waving him off. “Have you and Naruto decided if you want to know about the sex?”

“The _what_?” Sasuke exclaimed, still in panic-mode.

“The sex of the _baby_ , Sasuke. Do you want to know if it’s a boy or girl, or would you rather wait?”

***

Sasuke drifted through the halls of the tower, having no idea how he got there from the hospital. He was feeling- _numb_ , yes, that’s what he was feeling. Several people called out to him as he passed, but he just ignored them all and headed straight for Naruto’s office, opening the door and pushing on in.

“Naruto,” he mumbled, looking around the room and seeing a group of jounin in there. He was interrupting a mission assignment; he didn’t care.

“What is it, Sasuke?” Naruto asked from behind his desk. He took one look at Sasuke’s face and he paled to the colour of snow. “Okay guys, I’m gonna need a minute. We’ll pick this up in- I’ll let you know.”

And just like that he cleared them all out, while Sasuke leaned heavily on the wall by the door, taking in short, shallow breaths and feeling more than a little light-headed.

“Sasuke, come here,” Naruto said, closing the door behind the jounin. He took Sasuke’s hand and lead him over to the couch in the corner, guiding him down. “God, tell me it’s not awful. Please, Sasuke!”

He bit his lip. “It’s- the baby-” he chocked, his throat having gone completely dry, and Naruto’s face turned green.

“Shit, it’s bad. I’m gonna throw up, just tell me Sasuke!”

“It’s a _boy_ ,” Sasuke gasped out, leaning heavily on Naruto’s arms. “The baby- our baby. It’s a _boy_ , Naruto!”

Naruto froze and took a sharp breath. “It- it’s a _he_?” he demanded.

“Yes,” Sasuke gasped back.

“And there’s nothing wrong? Just that? Sasuke!”

“No, it’s fine- he’s fine. He’s _small_ , but Sakura said he’s fine, and-”

“And he’s a _boy_!” Naruto interrupted. “Our son!”

Sasuke paled. Their _son_. Shit. He couldn’t…he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Our son,” he repeated, his voice low and raspy.

“We’re having a boy,” Naruto said, a wide, jubilant smile taking over his face. “Sasuke! I’m so happy!”

And the thing was, Sasuke was too. Really, really happy- and completely, one hundred percent terrified.

***

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So last week I asked you guys what profession Sasuke might be in if he wasn't a shinobi- and wow, you all are so creative!! It was so much fun reading your ideas <3 <3 <3\. Ahhhh but now I can't get this out of my head- Nar and Sas as retired shinobi who are now **rival ninja chefs**. Naruto's upbeat, casual ramen-and-more restaurant opens up right next to Sasuke's refined, stylish traditional-Japanese restaurant. What will happen next???
> 
> Ohhhh and then! How about Sasuke **as a shinto priest** instead of a shinobi?? Can't you just picture it- Sasuke in that outfit, sweeping the steps of his shrine, eyes following the blonde who just happens to walk by several times a day?? Or Sasuke **as a research scientist** , and Naruto as a participant in one of his studies?? I swear, you guys have given me too many ideas!!!


	8. Chapter 8

All week long Sasuke had been working on two goals: first, to practice maintaining a barrier between himself and the clone, and second, to not think about _why_ he needed that barrier so badly. The truth was, the baby-their _son_ \- had been moving around a lot more lately, and it was frightening. How was Sasuke meant to concentrate on anything when the clone- and therefore Sasuke- could feel all that? Last night, he even thought the baby had been _kicking_.

No, it was completely unacceptable to allow his mind to linger on such thoughts. They still had more than four months to go, and so he needed to master his barrier technique as soon as possible to get even a little peace.

But _peace_ was something they were unlikely to get any of this weekend. He and Naruto were babysitting Yuzu and Sakumo while their parents were off enjoying their anniversary. They’d taken care of Yuzu overnight plenty of times, but this would be the first time with _two_ of them.

“Dinner will be ready soon,” Naruto announced from where he was pottering around the kitchen in that ridiculous pink apron of his. “And Kumo-chan’s food is almost ready too,” he added. Sakumo perked up at the sound of his name, gurgling and biting down on his stuffed bear.

Sasuke was helping Yuzu with her latest school project at the table, and trying to ignore what a mess his house was. _It’s just one weekend_ , he told himself, turning his mind back to Yuzu’s school-work.

“Kanji is too _hard_ ,” Yuzu whined, tossing her pencil down and pouting. Sakumo squealed in delight from his highchair, reaching out towards the pencil.

“Oh, tell me about it!” Naruto called from the stove, waving a wooden spoon at them. “I was always _hopeless_ at it!”

Yuzu shot Sasuke a look. “And he’s _Hokage_ now,” she said. “So I don’t see why I have to-”

“He _was_ hopeless at it,” Sasuke interrupted, picking up her discarded pencil and moving it a safe distance from Sakumo’s determined hands. “But he still had to do all the work. The teachers made him stay behind during lunch and after school if he didn’t finish.”

“You remember that?!” Naruto exclaimed, gazing over at them with an embarrassed expression on his face. “It’s not like it helped me get any better, anyway. Some people just aren’t good at kanji, Sasuke!”

“Well, Yuzu isn’t one of them,” Sasuke said to that, before turning back to the little girl and her scribble-covered paper. “You just need to remember your stroke order. See? You’ve got it just right here. Do it like that.”

“…okay, then,” Yuzu said with a troubled sigh, reluctantly taking her pencil back from Sasuke and continuing her work. There was a parent-teacher night next week and her calligraphy would be on display.

Sasuke sat back and watched her. Memories of Itachi helping him with his own calligraphy were flitting through the back of his mind. He wondered if it would ever feel _comforting_ , thinking back on his childhood like this. He’d loved his big brother so much- and Itachi had been good to him, hadn’t he, when they were kids? But all of that still felt so _tainted_ , so wrong.

“Time for dinner, Kumo-chan!” Naruto sang out, moving over to the table with Sakumo’s dinner- a very unappealing green mush. He sat down in front of the highchair and spooned some of it out of the bowl.

“What is _that_?” Sasuke asked, wrinkling his nose, relieved to have a distraction- as disgusting as it looked.

“It’s _gross_ , whatever it is,” Naruto replied, blowing on the mush to cool it down. “I just heated up whatever Sakura gave me.”

“It’s not gross!” Yuzu protested. “It’s peas, potato, and zucchini! I helped mama make it,” she added, with a pleased and proud expression.

“…lovely,” Sasuke murmured. Sakura tried her best, but she was far from being a natural cook. Kakashi was hopeless, too. _No wonder he wants his son to be a chef_ , Sasuke thought. Suddenly it all made sense.

“Open wide, Sakumo!” Naruto cooed to the baby, who was staring at the spoon with suspicion. “Oh, lucky boy, it’s so _delicious_!”

“It _is_ delicious,” Yuzu muttered, recognizing Naruto’s deceiving tone. “…for _babies_.”

“Ah, Sasuke, would you mind finishing the vegetables?” Naruto said, glancing over to the stove where the pot was boiling over. “Unless you’d prefer-”

“I’ll finish dinner,” Sasuke quickly interrupted, staring at Sakumo’s disgusted face and deciding that Naruto was _not_ going to have an easy time getting him to eat that stuff. He moved to the kitchen before Naruto forced them to switch.

Needless to say, their own dinner was a vast improvement over Sakumo’s- though most of _that_ ended up on his clothes rather than in his mouth. Naruto sat staring at Sasuke and Yuzu forlornly as they ate their food, while he struggled to get baby Sakumo to eat his own.

“That looks nice,” he said with a sigh.

“Here,” Sasuke said, stabbing a bit of chicken with his fork and holding it in front of Naruto’s mouth.

“Thanks, Sas!!” Naruto exclaimed, his eyes sparkling.

“Don’t mention it,” Sasuke said back. Parenting was all about _teamwork_ , wasn’t it? Naruto needed to eat if he was going to keep his strength up. There were still a few hours before the kids would go to bed and they could relax.

“Do you have to give the clone some dinner?” Yuzu asked, watching Sasuke feed Naruto with amusement. “Mama said it eats real food.” Her tone was light and easy, but at her words Sasuke felt something clench up inside him. It was strange to hear her speak of the clone so casually.

“Uh, well, the clone _does_ eat real food,” Naruto said to that, quickly gazing at Sasuke before he spoke, “but she’s okay at the moment.”

Yuzu nodded, eating more of her rice. “Can you tell it’s not real?” she mumbled.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, Yuzu,” Sasuke chided. “And _we_ can tell, obviously. Most shinobi probably could as well. Not civilians, though.”

It seemed clear that Sakura had spoken to Yuzu about the clone before, which didn’t surprise him. Both Sakura and Kakashi were pretty open with her. Yuzu had needed that- she spent the first part of her life growing up in public, after all, as the daughter of the Hokage. _As will our son_ , Sasuke thought, with a vague sense of apprehension.

“How come it always stays upstairs?” Yuzu asked, carefully finishing her spoonful of rice before speaking.

“That’s where her room is, Yuzu,” Sasuke said. “She does come down, sometimes. She goes for walks in the woods. But you probably won’t ever see her.”

“Sasuke doesn’t even let _me_ see it,” Naruto added with a whine. “Come on, Kumo-chan, just a little more!”

“Do you _want_ to see it?” Yuzu asked him.

“Of course I do,” Naruto replied.

“How come?” Yuzu said to that. “It’s just a copy of Sasuke.”

Naruto blinked, staring over at the little girl in amazement.

Sasuke couldn’t help but feel smug at that. Yuzu was so _sensible_. Not even knowing that her uncles had a pregnant, female clone in their upstairs bedroom fazed her.

“She’s right, you know,” Sasuke said to Naruto. “Even though you claimed you could tell it was a _girl_.”

“I _could_ tell!” Naruto protested. “She was so pretty.”

“She looks just like _me_ ,” Sasuke argued, rolling his eyes. Oh, Naruto had been over the moon the first time he’d seen the clone, beyond amused. God knows why- Sasuke certainly never reacted that way to _Naruto’s_ female self.

“But Sasuke, you _do_ look like a girl,” Yuzu said, her tone completely innocent. “Your hair is longer than _mine_ -”

Naruto burst out laughing and Sasuke’s frown turned into a sulk at once. “I do not!” Sasuke exclaimed.

“Don’t worry, Sasuke, I love your hair like this,” Naruto said with a grin. Sakumo stared at his uncle in amazement, and then burst out laughing himself, his little hands landing in a pile of the green mush on his high-chair.

Sasuke winced. “Bath time,” he announced, standing and gingerly taking Sakumo out of his highchair. He clearly wasn’t intending to eat a single spoonful more.

“Good idea,” Naruto agreed, putting aside Sakumo’s bowl with obvious relief and seeking out his own dinner.

“Pull his clothes off here would you, Naruto? I don’t want to trail food all the way to the bathroom,” Sasuke asked, suddenly seeing his lovely clean floors covered in mush.

“What about my project?” Yuzu protested as Sasuke walked away. “You promised you’d help me!”

“ _I’ll_ help you,” Naruto spoke, pulling his plate towards him and eagerly shovelling down his cold dinner. “Don’t worry, I know _all_ the tricks.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes again as he carried the baby towards the bathroom. _Well that should all go brilliantly then_ , he thought to himself. “And then it’s _your_ bath-time, Yuzu!” he announced.

***

Sasuke wandered down the hall, relieved that Yuzu was finally asleep- though only after _three_ storybooks. He found Naruto on the couch with Sakumo wrapped up in his arms, having his night-time bottle.

“I put a little extra milk in,” Naruto said to Sasuke as he sat down. “Seeing as he didn’t eat much of his dinner. That’s okay, isn’t it?”

“I guess so. Poor kid,” Sasuke murmured, thinking of the food Sakura had left in the fridge for him to eat tomorrow. “We’ll have to find a better recipe for baby food.”

Naruto grinned at that. “Oh, I figured we’d just feed it ramen-”

“-no,” Sasuke interrupted, “no ramen until its fifth birthday.” And it would be even longer than that, if Sasuke could help it- but that was the problem with having a child that was half-Naruto; it would probably be _born_ craving ramen.

“Five years old? _That’s_ very specific,” Naruto muttered. “Almost like you’ve thought about it before,” turning away and gazing down at Sakumo.

Well, you _had_ to think about these things before you had kids with Naruto, honestly.

“And besides,” Naruto went on, “When we had lunch at Ichiraku’s last week, Kakashi let Sakumo have some-”

“He _didn’t_!” Sasuke exclaimed. Did Sakura know about this?! What _else_ did Kakashi get away with?

“-it may have just been some of the broth,” Naruto admitted. “Just a spoonful. But he liked it a _lot_ , didn’t you Kumo-chan?” Naruto cooed to the baby.

Sakumo cooed back, his hands gripping his bottle tight, happily gurgling away.

“ _Our_ kid won’t be having any, regardless,” Sasuke decreed. Only the healthiest fruit and vegetables, and a bit of meat. There was no way he was letting it grow up on instant ramen like his father had, _that_ was for sure- “What?” Sasuke asked, gazing up and noticing Naruto grinning at him.

“I like to hear you talk about our baby,” Naruto said, his eyes bright. “It makes it seem like it’s _really_ going to happen!”

“It will, one day,” Sasuke said to that, feeling immensely guilty. He was really very hard on Naruto, not letting either of them talk about the baby or of their future as a family. He couldn’t help it; it just seemed like any of that sort of talk would jinx everything.

“I wonder what he’ll look like,” Naruto said with a sigh, eyes still dreamy, lost in his own world.

 _Just like Naruto, hopefully_ , Sasuke thought to himself. The more Uzumaki in him the better.

“Hey, Naruto,” Sasuke began. “Did you read anything in your book about when the baby would start kicking?”

“Mm,” Naruto mused, “I’m not sure- maybe not quite yet. Why, did you feel it?”

“Well, maybe,” Sasuke said. “It’s hard to tell. It’s not kicking _me_ , after all.”

“What _does_ it feel like then, Sas?” Naruto went on, evidently thinking he should push his luck while Sasuke was willing to talk.

Sasuke frowned. He really didn’t know how to describe it. And it was all so confusing, anyway; all the sensations he got from the clone got hopelessly mixed up with his own. Naruto probably would have had more luck, if Sasuke had let him carry the baby.

“It just feels like butterflies,” Sasuke tentatively explained. “You know, like when you’re nervous?”

Naruto nodded, looking contemplative as he took Sakumo’s empty bottle out of his hands. The baby’s eyes were fluttering closed; he’d be asleep in minutes.

“Hey Sas, you know it’s not the _clone_ I’m interesting in seeing, right?” Naruto murmured, placing Sakumo on his shoulder and rocking him softly. “It’s just that…well, the baby’s there too, so…and I know you can’t really tell, but…”

Sasuke sighed. “She’s getting a little bigger every day,” he admitted. “And once the baby _does_ start to kick, we’ll be able to feel it from the outside- like when Sakura was pregnant.”

“Kumo-chan kicked me in the face one time,” Naruto pouted.

“You fell asleep on Sakura’s stomach,” Sasuke pointed out. “ _I_ would have kicked you too!”

“I’ve tried not to think about all that, though,” Naruto admitted. “You know, when the baby’s kicking. I know you feel really uncomfortable with it all.”

He _did_ feel uncomfortable; why wouldn’t he? These were strange circumstances, and Sasuke was doing something he’d never in a million years thought he would have done. And if he’d thought about it for any longer, he probably wouldn’t have gone ahead with the plan. He’d tried Naruto’s new clone technique as soon as Naruto had brought up the idea, and then the clone had gotten pregnant right away, and…

…and here they were. There was no going back now, so matter _how_ anxious Sasuke was about it all.

“You should go and see her whenever you want,” Sasuke said. “Go and see the baby, I mean. You have every right to.”

“You mean that?” Naruto asked. “But- really?”

“Really,” Sasuke said, stifling a yawn. “It’s your baby.”

“But it’s _your_ body.”

Sasuke shrugged at that. “What’s mine is yours. Or something like that,” he said, trying to remember all the things he’d agreed to when they gotten married.

“So…whenever I like? I can just…go up there?”

“Yes,” Sasuke confirmed.

Naruto looked terrified. “Will you come with me?”

Sasuke bit back a smile. “What’re you so scared of?” he teased. “It’s just a copy of _me_.”

“Oh, but I…please, Sasuke?”

This time he really _did_ smile. “Sure, I’ll come with you. Not now, though. We have to put this guy to bed,” he said, nodding at Sakumo, who was fast asleep on Naruto’s shoulder.

“You look tired, Sasuke. Maybe we should have an early night,” Naruto suggested.

Of course he was tired. Sakura and Kakashi had left first thing this morning, and Sakumo had _not_ been impressed to be left behind, screaming his displeasure at his absent parents.

Naruto stood and headed for their bedroom and Sasuke trailed after him, dragging his feet and yawning again. He helped Naruto tuck Kumo-chan into the crib they had beside their bed. Then he took a quick shower and when he returned to their room, he found Naruto fast asleep, his bedside lamp still on and the baby book open on his face.

Sasuke gazed at him fondly, reaching down to retrieve the book. He glanced at it, feeling curious. What was Naruto reading about tonight…?

… _you may start to feel your baby kicking once you reach five months,_ the book read; _you shouldn’t be alarmed if it takes longer, however._

Sasuke smiled. Naruto had become a very responsible man, indeed.

He put the book aside and switched off the bedside lamp, leaving only his own lit across the bed. He went down the corridor to check on Yuzu. The little girl was securely asleep, curled up in her futon in the room that would one day belong to their son.

Sasuke sighed, heading back to his own room, gazing down at Sakumo and adjusting his blankets before slipping into bed and falling asleep.

***

Sasuke had always been a much lighter sleeper than Naruto, so he was surprised to wake up and find the blonde gone- and the crib next to their bed was empty, too. He stared over at the crib for a few moments before his mind woke up a bit more. He slid out from under the sheets and headed out to the hallway to track down his missing husband and their infant charge.

He found them in the kitchen, Naruto pacing back and forth with an unsettled, whimpering Sakumo in his arms.

“Sorry, Sasuke,” Naruto spoke when he noticed him standing there. “I was trying not to wake you, so I brought him out here.”

“Is he okay?” Sasuke murmured, stepping closer to them both and gazing down at the fussing baby.

“I think so. I changed his diaper and gave him some milk, and he’s still upset so- I guess he just misses his parents,” Naruto replied. “Is this the first night he’s spent away from them?’

Sasuke shook his head. “He’s slept at his grandparents’ before. You’re probably right, though. You should come back to bed now that I’m awake.” He took Naruto’s hand and tugged him back towards their room. He didn’t want Sakumo’s crying to wake Yuzu as well.

“He doesn’t have a fever or anything,” Naruto went on as he settled on their bed, still rocking Sakumo gently.

“You checked that as well?” Sasuke asked, impressed.

He nodded. “There was a baby thermometer in the first-aid kit Sakura left us,” he explained.

 _Trust a medic to be thorough_ , Sasuke thought to himself. Who prepared a first-aid kit for the babysitters?

Sasuke reached out and took Sakumo from Naruto’s arms and sat him down between them on the bed. “Now listen,” he scolded Sakumo gently. “Uncle Naruto’s been playing with you all day, and now he wants to sleep. So you need to let him, or there’ll be no more peek-a-boo tomorrow, understand?” They’d done that for more than an _hour_ today. Naruto’s attention span for these inane games knew no limit, apparently.

Sakumo stopped whinging and stared up at Sasuke with wide eyes.

“No _peek-a-boo_?” Naruto exclaimed, looking stricken. “That’s harsh, Sasuke!”

“Well, he’ll keep fussing as long as you stay awake with him,” Sasuke pronounced, picking Sakumo up and taking him back to his crib. “There, now. Go to sleep like a good boy,” he instructed, tucking the blankets up to his chin and patting his head until he closed his eyes.

He stood there for a few more minutes, gazing down at Sakumo’s sleeping face.

“Is he really asleep?” Naruto asked from the bed.

Sasuke shrugged. “For now,” he replied with a yawn. “Anyway, we should go back to sleep as well…”

Naruto held the blankets up and Sasuke slipped underneath them, grinning when Naruto tucked them under his chin just liked he’d done with the baby. “There now,” Naruto teased, leaning down and kissing him softly. “Go to sleep like a good boy.”

***

The rest of the weekend flew by. They spent the morning weeding the garden, and then after Sakumo’s nap they went into town to their favourite café for an afternoon treat. Sasuke’s sharp eyes didn’t miss Naruto feeding Kumo-chan a bit of the icing from his chocolate cake. But even Sasuke relented and accepted a bite of Yuzu’s strawberry shortcake.

By the evening Naruto and Sasuke were exhausted, and more than happy to return the children to their parents.

“Hey, Sasuke,” Naruto said to Sasuke as they lay passed out on the couch, trying to gather the strength for a shower. “There’s definitely only _one_ baby in there, right?! We’re not having twins?”

“God no,” Sasuke said with a groan. “Why are two kids _four times_ as difficult as one? Yuzu by herself was plenty exhausting enough, but…”

“Mm, Kumo-chan is so cute though,” Naruto said back, his tired eyes brightening a bit. “The way he smiled at me when I reached down to get him out of bed this morning…it was so sweet, Sas!”

“I’m sure you’ll have plenty more chances to see that face,” Sasuke informed him. “Sakura and Kakashi seemed to enjoy their weekend away a _lot_.”

“…wow, can you imagine doing this with _our_ kid added to the mix?!”

They both fell silent at that horrific image. Sasuke shuddered.

“Let’s have a shower,” he said, shaking off the mental picture of his house in absolute ruins at the hands of three children. “And then we’re going to _bed_.”

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're halfway through guys!! Not long now before we get to meet baby Hachi~~~!! ...mmm but unfortunately I've been hit with writer's block and am super busy with life-related things as well, *sigh*. I've got first drafts of all the chapters but it's been hard to finish them...ANYWAY! No more complaining, I'll get it done! *determined*
> 
> Thanks as always to my lovely, lovely commenters, it means the world to me that there are gorgeous people who take the time to read and review my work!! Thank you darlings!! *blows kisses*
> 
> (Ahh!! I keep forgetting to mention. I'm sure y'll have noticed by now that I've got comment moderation switched on for this fic? It means comments won't get published until I approve them. The ONLY reason for this is to stop those horrid SNS troll comments getting through and pestering my beloved readers!! I still get them for every chapter, but this way, YOU guys don't have to see them! Rest assured, all other comments get approved as soon as I see them!!)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've got **Naruto's POV** for this chapter- just for something a little different! Later on we'll have one more Naru chapter as well, but overall this fic is very much in Sasuke's hands, ahaha.

Naruto sat in his office gazing down at the ultra-sound picture that Sakura had given him last week. Their baby really did look like a _proper_ baby now, a real little person, with tiny fingers and toes and everything. _He’s waving_ , Naruto thought to himself, looking at how his son’s little fingers were all splayed out, almost like he knew someone was watching and he wanted to say hello.

Naruto grinned. _You’re an idiot_ , he scolded himself. Waving? How absurd. 

His mind drifted off to his favourite daydream topic: what would their son look like? Naruto didn’t really mind, but he did hope his child looked at least a _little_ bit like him. Enough that people would look at their son and say, _oh, you’ve got your daddy Naruto’s eyes_. Something like that.

It sounded silly, and it _was_ ; but no-one had ever said anything like that to _him_ when he was growing up. Naruto had been alone, and he didn’t even look like anyone else in the village. And now some of his friends had families, and they were always finding little parts of themselves in their children. It was nice.

_Well, it doesn’t matter, though_ , Naruto thought. He’d really expected Sasuke to say no to his and Sakura’s idea, and so in his mind he’d been much more prepared to adopt a child than to have one of his own. Their kid may not have looked anything like either of them then, and it wouldn’t have made a difference at all. One day people still might have said, _oh, you’ve got your daddy Naruto’s smile._

There was a brief knock at the door. “Naruto?” came a voice. He scrambled to hide the photo under a book as the door opened and Sasuke came into the room. “Naruto, Konohamaru’s team ran into some trouble on their mission-”

Naruto’s mind flashed red immediately and he slipped into high alert mode. “ _What_!” he cried, pushing himself up from his desk. “Are they okay?! Is _he_ okay?”

“Ah, he’s fine- sorry, Naruto,” Sasuke said at once, wrinkling his nose, looking guilty. “They’re a little injured, but they’ll be alright.”

“Oh, thank god,” Naruto exclaimed, falling back into his seat. “What _happened_?” It had been weeks since they’d had any incidents at _all_ on their missions, and months since they’d had a serious problem.

“An ambush, apparently,” Sasuke said, reading off a piece of paper in his hand. “They’re on their way home now, so we need to send a replacement team to finish their mission.”

Naruto took another deep breath and willed his heart-rate to return to normal. Trouble on missions was one of his worst nightmares- and Konohamaru?! No, Naruto couldn’t _bear_ the thought of anything happening to him.

Ino came into the room behind Sasuke and flashed him a grin. “So who are we sending, boss?” she asked, moving over to the mission status board in Naruto’s office. Ino was the head of the mission assignment and progress team, and it would be her job to make sure the mission was completed regardless of any problems.

Naruto stood and joined her. “If there’s the risk of any more trouble, I’d like to send a surveillance crew. Kiba’s team just got back, so-”

“No,” Sasuke interrupted, leaning forward and placing a finger on the blue dot under their team. “You’ve got them marked for duties in Konoha.”

Oh, right. Kiba’s youngest baby was turning one this week and he wanted to stay in town.

“Hanabi’s team, then,” Ino suggested. “Their mission to Suna can easily be delayed until they get back- or we can send Hinata and Shino to Suna by themselves.”

Naruto nodded. “Alright. When is Konohamaru’s team expected back? Have medics been sent off to help them?”

Ino shook her head. “They said that wasn’t necessary- and they’ll be back in a few hours. I’m keeping track of their progress and they’ll go straight to the hospital to be checked out anyway.”

“Here’s an outline of what we know of their mission,” Sasuke added, handing his paper to Naruto.

“Thank you,” he said to Sasuke. “Ino, will you be able to brief Hanabi’s team ASAP? Send them in to see me after you’re done. Then they can prepare and they can leave tonight once they speak to Konohamaru.”

“Roger that,” Ino said with a quick smile and nod. “I’ll let you know when to expect them.” She waved and left the room.

“…damn,” Naruto said, staggered over to the couch and falling down heavily once she was gone. “Sasuke, what did I say about the word _trouble_?” It set off alarm bells in his head like crazy. Honestly, Naruto had only been Hokage for a little over a year and he felt like it had aged him by a decade _already_.

Sasuke tilted his head. “You’ve already forbidden me from using the words _accident, incident_ , and _problem_ , though,” he pointed out. “I’m running out of ways to say it. He’s fine, Naruto. These things happen.”

“I wish they _didn’t_ ,” Naruto muttered under his breath. Why couldn’t everyone just stay _safe_?

Sasuke glanced over at the door and then slid down next to him on the couch, taking his hand. “What can I do to help?”

“Hmm,” Naruto pondered. “Well, okay- next time you have bad news for me, try wearing your glasses. That always makes me feel better.”

“Idiot,” Sasuke said, poking his cheek, scolding him gently. “I don’t know why you like them so much-”

“You clearly haven’t looked in the mirror while you’ve got them on, then,” Naruto interrupted, feeling his skin heat up at the thought. Just when he thought Sasuke couldn’t get any cuter, he started wearing glasses while doing paperwork sometimes. They drove Naruto _wild_.

“I expect you’ll be home late, then,” Sasuke went on, evidently deciding to change the subject. “You’ll want to visit Konohamaru in the hospital. Have you finished reviewing the agenda for the council session? I can delay your meeting tomorrow with Shikamaru-”

“Ah no, I did it this morning,” Naruto said, waving that off. “But I haven’t finished signing off on the latest mission reports. I’ve read all the summaries, though.” That was the very next thing on his to-do list- once he could drag his eyes away from the ultra-sound photo, that was.

“I’ll finish them,” Sasuke said. “Have some water or something, Naruto. Everything’s okay.”

He nodded and gave Sasuke a tight smile as he left the room, closing the door behind him. Naruto sat there for a few more minutes. Everything was okay, Sasuke said, and Ino had said they weren’t badly injured, so…it was _fine_. But an ambush, really? That was…worrying.

He sighed, heading back to his desk. He needed to read the paper Sasuke had given him and then pull himself together before Hanabi’s team stopped by to be briefed. He quickly slipped the ultra-sound photo back into his top draw, his hand trembling a little. He didn’t want to think about his son- about his future family- when he’d just gotten news like _that_.

***

“I’m home,” Naruto called, closing the front door softly behind him and slipping off his shoes. He lined them up neatly- a habit he’d only managed to learn after many years of Sasuke’s nagging. “Sas?”

“In the study,” came Sasuke’s voice in return.

Naruto followed his voice down the hallway and into their bedroom, then through the adjoining door to their home office. He smiled at the sight of Sasuke at his desk, with all four cats surrounding him- a rare glimpse of Sasuke in his natural habitat.

“Oh, look who’s stopped by for a visit,” he said with a grin, stepping forward and scratching Midori’s ears. She arched her back and _mrr_ -ed happily at him, and Mr. Socks immediately jumped up onto the desk and rolled over for a belly-rub.

“They were waiting for me when I got home,” Sasuke explained. “How was it at the hospital?”

Naruto sat down on the edge of the desk. “They’re all okay, and the mission won’t be too adversely affected by it. Moegi actually had a broken arm. It’s been healed now, but I’ve put them all on rest and desk duty for the next week anyway- the next _fortnight_ , if I can help it.”

Sasuke nodded, pushing away his paperwork and stretching his arms above his head with an adorable little yawn. It was so cute, it _almost_ put Naruto back at ease. “And are _you_ feeling alright?”

Well, Naruto wasn’t so sure about that. “I guess so,” he said, and even _he_ could hear the hesitation in his voice. Konohamaru had been a little shaken- they hadn’t been expecting any trouble on their mission. Mr. Socks meowed loudly at him and he realised he’d stop petting the spoiled feline. “Ah, sorry,” he said, quickly resuming his task.

“I’ve got some positive news for you, if you like,” Sasuke said, with just as much hesitation in his voice. “Sakura dropped by and gave us some sake as a thank-you for last weekend-”

“Oh, that’s _great_ news!” Naruto exclaimed, brightening up at once. “Where is it? Let’s have some now!”

“That’s not the good news, moron!” Sasuke scowled. “Sakura measured the clone’s stomach and says she’s grown a whole inch since last week. And, she should get bigger by an inch every week until the baby’s born. You can actually tell there’s a _baby_ in there now.”

Naruto’s eyes widened. “Really?” he said. “Ah, that _is_ better news than sake!”

The last time he’d seen the clone there’d been a slight hint of a baby-bump, but you could barely tell. Honestly, given how skinny Sasuke and the clone were, Naruto was surprised at how long it was taking for her to look pregnant. How was that even _possible-_ where was the baby hiding?!

“I meant it when I said that you can go visit her,” Sasuke went on, gazing over at him. “I- I don’t mind, really, if you want to.”

**_Do_** _I want to?_ Naruto asked himself. He’d said he did last weekend, and of course he’d been whining about it for so long, but… “Will you come with me?” he asked, feeling his cheeks grow pink with embarrassment. Somehow, he couldn’t face the idea of going up there by himself.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. “Naruto…”

“Please? It’s, uh…you know, this whole thing is just so _strange_ …”

“No kidding,” Sasuke muttered, lifting Ao off his lap and standing up. “Sure, I’ll come. I’ve just finished all this paperwork anyway, so.”

“Thank you, Sasuke!!” Naruto exclaimed. Oh, Sasuke really _was_ nice to him sometimes!

***

"What do you think?" Sasuke murmured, as they stood in the room in front of the clone. "She _is_ a little bigger, right?"

“Yes, definitely,” Naruto said back at once, completely blown away by how much had changed so quickly. “She doesn’t even _look_ like you anymore!” he added. The clone was now very clearly a _woman_ , a _pregnant_ woman, with her clothes clinging to rounded stomach. A _baby bump_ , as the book called it.

_That's my son in there_ , Naruto thought to himself, a shiver running down his spine. 

Sasuke smirked. “So you don’t think she looks like my more attractive twin anymore?” he teased.

“No-one’s more attractive than _you_ , Sas,” Naruto quickly said back, pressing a kiss to his cheek, lingering there for a moment. “All I ever said was that you made a _particularly_ attractive girl-”

“Right,” Sasuke said, rolling his eyes. “Oh, look. They’re not sure of her at _all_ ,” he added, glancing at the way the cats were circling the clone. All four had followed them up the stairs and had made a bee-line for the clone reclining on her futon, but now they seemed very hesitant indeed. Ginger kept turning her head back to Sasuke and looked supremely confused.

Sasuke must have decided to have the clone win them over, because she reached out to them from the futon and immediately started petting Midori when she got close enough. Midori was by far the bravest of their cats, and if she accepted the clone then the others would be fine.

"She'll need new clothes soon, hey?" Naruto commented, finding it hard to draw his eyes away from the clone’s rounded belly. 

"I suppose so," Sasuke said back, gazing at the clone with a critical eye. “They _are_ a little tight.”

"Hmm, how about a nice dress? We could go maternity clothes shopping," Naruto teased, and then he squeaked and backed towards the door when Sasuke shot him a deadly glare. "Ahh! Just kidding, kitten-"

"We’ll ask Sakura if she has any old stuff," Sasuke said with a sigh, apparently deciding to let Naruto's comment pass without punishment. "She can wear _your_ clothes for now," he went on with a decisive little nod. 

...well, that was a very appealing idea. Naruto loved when Sasuke wore his clothes. 

"Hey, Naruto," Sasuke murmured, his gaze on the clone again, a strangely-introspective expression taking over his features. "Do you think I should cut my hair...? It _is_ getting a little long..."

Naruto's heart stopped beating in his chest for a moment. Where had _that_ come from?! "No," he declared at once. "Sasuke, _no_!! You _wouldn't_ , would you?!"

Sasuke turned to face him, startled. "But Yuzu said it makes me look like a girl..."

"I _love_ your hair," Naruto said emphatically. So what if it was a little long? It was beautiful, and it suited him. "I will _cry_ if you cut it- _cry_ , Sasuke!!" What had gotten into him today? It was very rare indeed for him to be concerned about his _looks_.

Sasuke blinked, a slight sprinkling of pink covering his cheeks. "...oh. Well, okay then."

"You won't cut it?!" Naruto whined. Of course even if Sasuke shaved himself completely bald he would _still_ be the most beautiful creature on the planet, but…

"I guess not," Sasuke said in reply, shooting the clone’s hair another critical look. She was wearing it out, flowing loosely down the back of her neck.

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. _Good_. "Hey, have you felt any more _almost kicking_ yet?" he asked, quickly changing the subject.

Sasuke wrinkled his nose. "I don't know how you're meant to _tell_. It _does_ feel different than before, but..." he sighed. "I guess when he's _really_ kicking, I'll just know."

And Naruto just hoped that Sasuke would tell him. Sasuke wouldn't keep it from him to be deliberately mean, of course not. He was just such a private person that he often needed time to think about something before he shared- time to decide how he felt about it himself before telling others. Sasuke _did_ tell him things, eventually; that was enough for him.

Even now he could tell something was on his mind. He wouldn't push, though. Sasuke would talk to him or he wouldn't- no good would come from insisting. 

***

The image of the clone’s rounded belly stuck in his kind long into the night.

Naruto couldn’t help but feel uneasy about the thought of her walking to and from the hospital looking like that.  The people of Konoha had known from that very first month that the Hokage was “up to something”- of course they did! This was a small place, and rumours had been flying. Seeing Naruto and Sasuke’s clones around town certainly wasn’t rare, but there was clearly something different about this one- and it had stuck around for much longer than usual.

And by now everyone at the hospital had seen the clone coming and going for her check-ups; news would have spread quickly from there. It wouldn’t just be the hospital staff now, though: it would be clear to anyone with eyes that she was _pregnant_. He and Sasuke might not have made a big announcement about it- why on earth _would_ they have- but they weren’t keeping it a secret, either.

“Hey, Sasuke,” Naruto murmured, shuffling closer to Sasuke's back, slipping an arm around his waist. “Maybe we should have the clone be a little bit more subtle about things now? You know, at least wear a coat when she’s coming to and from the hospital…”

“In the middle of summer? Yes, very subtle, Naruto,” Sasuke said back, lacing his fingers through Naruto’s.

“…true point,” Naruto said to that.

It’s not like people hadn’t _guessed_. It had been the most popular theory for at least a month now, according to his sources on the current gossip in Konoha. Luckily not a single person had dared to approach Sasuke with questions- no, they didn't say anything to him about it at all. But they certainly asked _Naruto_ , and he deflected them as best he could.

“Are you worried about it?” Sasuke asked. “Sakura said she’d handle any questions. Put out a statement or something, once news got out. But weirder things have happened, you know. They’ll get over it.”

Naruto let out a frustrated breath. He _was_ worried about it, though he couldn’t have said _why_. He reached out and gently tugged the hair-tie out of Sasuke's hair, and then buried his face in those beautiful raven locks. 

"I _love_ your hair," he declared, his voice muffled. "Please don't cut it."

Sasuke scoffed softly. "If it means that much to you..."

"It _does_ ," Naruto said. "Really."

Sasuke took a moment to reply. "...okay," he said eventually. "I won't, then."

"Good," Naruto said back, relieved that the threat had been removed. He closed his eyes and nestled closer to Sasuke's warmth and tried to sleep. 

Little Go-chan was 22 weeks along now, and that meant they were more than halfway there. It felt strange, like he and Sasuke were living their lives in some sort of waiting-room. As much as they both tried to put that thought aside and get on with things, the knowledge that next year their lives would be completely different coloured everything.

Of course, Sasuke would say it was just as likely that they’d leave the waiting-room empty handed- that this could all still fail at any moment. At first Naruto had tried to think like that as well, but the second he’d found out that the baby was a _boy_ , everything changed. The baby became _real_. That was his son in those ultra-sound pictures, and Naruto was desperate to meet him.

***

Naruto visited Konohamaru and his team in the hospital again the next morning, and was relieved to find that they were just fine- ready to be discharged, in fact. And Ino had heard from Hanabi’s team that they’d resumed the mission without any difficulties. Crisis averted, and everything was back to normal.

He arrived back at the tower with a grin on his face and quickly made his way to Sasuke’s office. A woman had stopped him on the street outside the hospital this morning and given him something _very_ interesting.

"Sasuke!" Naruto called out, bursting into the office opposite his own. "Check this out!!"

"We're a little busy, Naruto," Sasuke said to him with a frown. Naruto bit back a grin, seeing Sasuke’s three assistants swap amused looks behind Sasuke's back- only their boss would _dare_ to speak to the Hokage like that. 

"It'll just take a second,” Naruto insisted, stepping closer to where Sasuke was standing in front of the whiteboard that covered a whole wall of his office. “You need see this, it's awesome!" he insisted. 

There was a whispered comment from behind them and Sasuke frowned, turning around and shooting his girls a _look_. Instantly they dispersed throughout the room and made themselves look busy.

Sasuke sighed and headed for the door. “Fine, you can have five minutes,” he said.

Naruto followed him across the hall and once they’d entered his office he closed the door securely behind him. “A _whole_ five minutes?” he cooed, reaching out to take hold of Sasuke’s shirt and tug him closer.

Sasuke gazed down at the bag in Naruto’s hand, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. " _Mommy and me_...?" he read. "Naruto, you _didn't_! I told you she can just wear _your_ clothes-"

"-ah, no, this is for the baby!" Naruto interrupted, pulling the contents of the bag out and holding it up. It was a tiny, fuzzy orange playsuit, complete with a furry tail on the back and little fox ears on the hood. 

Sasuke blinked and stared at it, his eyes flat and neutral. “Not maternity clothes then,” he murmured. He reached out for the outfit and Naruto handed it over. 

“Of course not,” Naruto said back. Bringing _those_ into their house would be far too risky- he was too young to die! Besides, the clone looked fine in Naruto’s old training shirts, and Sasuke said she felt very comfortable.

"You bought this?" Sasuke asked, the tone of his voice completely indecipherable as he turned the little outfit over in his hands, running his eyes over every detail of the fuzzy orange thing.

Naruto twitched. Was Sasuke angry? Annoyed? _Pleased_? He had no idea. "Uh, no, it was a _gift_! From the owner of this store- it's just around the corner from here, you know the one?"

"I _don't_ know," Sasuke said, shaking his head minutely. "She just... _gave_ it to you?"

"Yep!" Naruto replied, putting on his most cheerful grin. He'd hesitated to show the outfit to Sasuke, but he'd just been so _delighted_ when he’d opened the package, he couldn't help himself! With its little tail and furry ears…it was adorable, just _perfect_.

"We don't even have anything for the baby yet," Sasuke murmured, running his fingers over the fuzzy fabric. "It'll be winter when he's born..."

"Oh well, we still have time to figure all that stuff out," Naruto said back. _Months_ , in fact. And of course they hadn’t bought anything yet- that would have just been jinxing the whole thing!  

"We need to get a crib, and blankets, and we don't have any toys..." Sasuke's carefully composed face disrupted a little as he spoke, and a slight tremor of anxiety crossed his smooth features. 

"We've got plenty of time," Naruto said again, trying his best to sound reassuring. "Sorry, Sas- I really didn't mean to stress you out or anything..."

Sasuke shook his head again. "No, it's- it's fine. This is...really cute," he added, a tiny smile appearing on his face, his fingers tracing the little fox ears. 

Naruto melted, relieved beyond belief. Oh, he was happy- he _liked_ it! "I know, right??" he exclaimed, delighted. "And the colour! Isn't it _amazing_?"

"It's certainly... _vivid_ ," Sasuke said to that, his eyes still glued to the little outfit. He sighed. "At least we have one outfit for him to wear.” He took the bag from Naruto and carefully placed the outfit inside. Then he stepped forward and pressed his lips to Naruto’s cheek. “And now I’m going back to work.”

Naruto accepted the bag back without a word, watching Sasuke return to his office with a wide grin on his face. This was all _really_ happening, and he could see it in Sasuke’s eyes: his precious Sas was just as excited about their future family as Naruto himself was. It would be challenging, it would be scary, but they were _ready_. The next four and a half months were sure to fly by. They’d be holding their little son in their arms in no time!

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm I'm not sure I managed to completely get inside Naruto's mind in just one chapter...but at least now we know a little more about what he's feeling and thinking about things...?


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **NSFW warning** for one brief scene! Oh and Sasuke's talking to cats again. 
> 
> Also, I had a question about whose underwear the clone is wearing. God I love you guys and your comments!! I laughed so hard, but it’s a good point- so I’m making up an answer now. Let’s say that Sasuke tried having her wear his boxer-briefs and Naruto’s boxers; neither was satisfactory but hey, no big deal right? But when Sakura found out, she was NOT impressed and demanded that Sasuke buy her some proper underwear AT ONCE. Sasuke made Naruto come with him and the whole experience was rather traumatic. Needless to say, everyone is very glad that they’re having a BOY, not a girl!

The rain was pouring down outside and the air was hot and muggy. Sasuke sat in their training room with an infinite number of scrolls all around him, his gaze focused on the centre of the room where Naruto was standing.

“You can’t see anything, right?” Sasuke said again, his voice stern and serious, not at all convinced that Naruto’s blindfold was doing its job. Really, Naruto should just be able to keep his own eyes closed, but who were they kidding? “I should use a blinding jutsu on you.”

“I can’t see anything at all, Sas, I promise,” Naruto said back. “…don’t throw something at me again, alright?”

“You dodged it last time,” Sasuke scowled. He’d clearly seen the scroll coming, _despite_ the blindfold. And if that didn’t prove anything, he didn’t know what would!

Naruto stamped his foot and glowered over at Sasuke’s general direction. “Not because I _saw_ it! I _felt_ it, with my super-amazing ninja senses!”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. _Sure_ he did. “Alright, then. Using your _super-amazing ninja senses_ , tell me where the _red_ kunai is.” _And he better get it right this time_ , Sasuke thought. _I’m running out of patience with this insane jutsu_.

“Roger than!” Naruto said with a grin, before falling silent and serious. “Hmm…”

The rainy season had hit Konoha late this year, but had hit with a vengeance. It was awful. They’d actually had to build little temporary shelters over their young tomato plants when the rain got too heavy. Apart from that they couldn’t do any gardening at all, and were just stuck inside all day long.

Sasuke kept his eyes glued to Naruto, observing the way he turned his body to the left and made a seal with his hands. It was perfect- Sasuke couldn’t see any difference between that seal and the ones in the scrolls.

They’d been at this for hours. It was _hot_ , and they were both tired. Naruto had discarded his shirt long ago. As Sasuke watched, a single bead of sweat trickled down from his shoulder and down his spine. Sasuke observed its progress across Naruto’s tanned skin, biting his lip and suddenly feeling noticeably more heated than before.

“-there,” Naruto announcing, turning around and grinning, breaking through Sasuke’s happy little day-dream. “It’s that one, Sas! The red kunai.”

“How sure are you?” Sasuke grumbled, still high suspicious. That proud grin on his dead-last’s face didn’t mean anything.

“Quite sure,” Naruto responded, tilting his head and shifting happily from foot to foot. “It’s the red one, I know it!”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “Give me a number out of ten. _Quite sure_ doesn’t work for me!”

Naruto frowned at that. “…um. 7.5?”

“That’s not sure at all!” Sasuke scowled. “Naruto!! You can’t go teleporting off through the air based on a 7.5! What’s _wrong_ with you?!”

“…oh,” Naruto said meekly, slumping to the ground. He reached up behind his head, untying the blindfold and letting it fall to the floor. “And I thought that was _good_. Ugh, it’s too hot for this!”

“No kidding,” Sasuke muttered. _Ah, good. He’s all tired out and we can stop this nonsense_. “And I’m sure we could put that blindfold to _much_ better use than this!”

Naruto flushed a deep burgundy and shivered despite the heat. “God, that brings up memories! We haven’t done that in a while, Sas…”

“Good times,” Sasuke mused with a sigh.

“ _Very_ good times,” Naruto agreed.

They fell silent, with not a single sound in the room save the rain hitting the roof and windows. Sasuke looked up and found Naruto gazing back at him. He felt something spark between them and his body coursed with heat at once.

“…anyway,” Sasuke went on, panting softly, un-crossing his legs and standing. “How about we put this training session on hold for now?” He moved across the tatami and reached down to pull Naruto to his feet.

“I think that’s a great idea, Sas,” Naruto murmured, holding his hand tightly, bringing the other to caress Sasuke’s back, just gently.

“And maybe,” Sasuke added, “ _I’ll_ wear the blindfold this time.”

***

Sasuke panted, trying desperately to bring his breathing back to normal. He couldn’t let Naruto see just how much his attention was getting to him. No, even if Sasuke was the one wearing the blindfold at the moment, he was _still_ in control of all this, as he always was-

“What did I say, Sasuke?” Naruto warned, as he paused in nipping his way up Sasuke’s spine. “Stay still!” he growled, swatting Sasuke’s backside lightly.

“Don’t wanna,” Sasuke whined, shifting underneath him, trying to free his legs from where they were pinned underneath Naruto’s heavy body. When they were like this, Sasuke could really feel how much bigger Naruto was than him. It was _annoying_ , that’s what it was; all those strong, tight muscles and those hands of his-

“Do I need to restrain you?” Naruto whispered into his ear, pushing his hands to Sasuke’s waist to force him back down to the bed. He ran his tongue along the shell of Sasuke’s ear, sucking down on the top and drawing a shiver from Sasuke.

“…no,” Sasuke sulked, forcing his body to relax back into the mattress. “Not if you get on with it!” They’d been at this for more than an _hour_ , how long was Naruto going to make him wait?! Honestly, he’d done nothing to deserve this-

“Mm, I’m not quite ready for that,” Naruto said, lying back down by his side and biting into Sasuke’s shoulder. “I’m probably just at a 7.5 right now, so-”

“Oh, you bastard!” Sasuke cried, sliding out from under Naruto and completely losing his patience. That was _enough_! He reached out to feel where Naruto was, pushing the blonde onto his back and seating himself on his hips. He didn’t need to see what he was doing for _this_ , just like he didn’t need his eyes to know that Naruto was grinning like a maniac right now.

“Hmm, such a nice view,” Naruto murmured, sliding his hands down Sasuke’s back to his hips, gripping tight as Sasuke slipped into place.

“…jerk,” Sasuke muttered, even as he sighed with happiness and arched his back at the blissful feeling of having Naruto finally inside him as he should be.

Sasuke sped up and set a brisk pace, drawing a heated moan from Naruto below him. He’d waited long enough for this and now he intended to get exactly what he wanted, right now! He trembled as waves of pleasure coursed through him, as if his body had been right at the brink and was now tumbling off the edge-

“Yes, Sasuke, just like that-” Naruto gasped, his fingers digging into Sasuke’s skin hard enough to bruise, panting and shaking and pressing up harder. “God, _yes_ …” he groaned as they both reached their peak together.

Sasuke shook and fell forward, letting Naruto catch him neatly in his arms and lower him to the bed. “Finally,” he panted, curling himself around Naruto’s side and resting his head on his shoulder. “You’re a real bastard sometimes, you know that?”

Naruto wrapped his arms around his back, leaning down to nuzzle his cheek and play with the ties of the blindfold. “Love you too, Sas,” he said with a chuckle, nestling closer.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, knowing that Naruto couldn’t see it. This man was hopeless. But at least Sasuke had managed to distract him from that damn jutsu, and now he’d surely be too tired to want to try again. _Yes, good job,_ Sasuke told himself. And he’d gotten exactly what he himself wanted in the end as well.

He smiled, relaxing against Naruto’s side and closing his eyes, content to just lie here and listen to the sound of the rain outside the windows, to the sound of Naruto’s heartbeat. It had been a _very_ nice day.

***

“Something weird is going on with these guys,” Sasuke complained, waving his letter from Juugo at Naruto’s face.

Naruto scoffed at that, holding the umbrella straighter above their heads as they walked home. “Sas, Taka is the very definition of _weird_. I’m not at all surprised.”

“Something weirder than normal,” Sasuke muttered, holding the paper back up to his tired eyes. “Juugo is being unusually evasive. I’ve asked him twice now if they’re coming home for the O-Bon festival.”

“If they come, they come,” Naruto said to that with a shrug. “At least we’ve got plenty of room for them to stay now.”

“I need numbers, Naruto,” Sasuke growled. “I can’t just whip up a proper O-Bon dinner out of thin air, you know!”

“Of course not,” Naruto rapidly agreed, his tone earnest and placating. “So tell me what’s wrong?”

“I don’t _know_ what’s wrong, they’re just being _weird_!” Sasuke repeated. Call it intuition or instinct, he just _knew_ something was up.

“I guess it’s been quite a while now since we’ve seen them,” Naruto mused. “Do you want to visit them? You should take a few days off if you want to.”

Sasuke considered this- for about five seconds. “…no,” he said. “It wouldn’t feel right to be so far away from the clone.”

“And little Go-chan,” Naruto added.

“Right,” Sasuke said with a nod. “Besides, you’ll be away all the next week with the Tsuchikage.”

“I don’t wanna go,” Naruto whined, his face falling and shoulders slumping.

“At least you’ll be getting away from the rain,” Sasuke pointed out. The rainy season was the worst!

“Oh, it stopped,” Naruto remarked. He pulled the umbrella away and they both stood there staring up at the sky. It was overcast, but the rain had indeed stopped- for now.

“Wow,” Sasuke said. “The cats will be happy.” Sasuke may have hated the rainy season- who didn’t? But the cats _despised_ it. Ginger had even taken to letting Sasuke blow-dry her fur when she accidently got wet- it took forever to dry on its own.

“You know, when it’s raining so much and we have to walk through it to get home…it makes it seem like our house is in a whole other world,” Naruto commented, looking around at the trees with an odd expression in his eyes.

“Does it bother you?” Sasuke asked. “That we live so far away from everyone else now?” He worried about it sometimes; they used to live just five minutes from the tower, right in the centre of everything.

“Are you kidding?” Naruto exclaimed, dropping the umbrella and latching into Sasuke’s side. “We should have moved to the middle of the woods years ago! I’ve got you all to myself now, and no neighbours to worry about!”

“Except Sakura,” Sasuke pointed out, wriggling around in his grasp- it was the middle of summer after all! They’d overheat very quickly clinging to each other like that.

“Right, but let’s face it! They know _all_ our secrets and we know all theirs.”

Sasuke scoffed, slipping out from under him and stepping away. Yes, that was true.

And then all of a sudden the clouds above them opened up, and they were drenched in seconds.

“Naruto!” Sasuke shrieked, “the umbrella!”

“Too late for that,” Naruto cried, “let’s run for it!”

***

Sasuke sat at the table eating dinner by himself. It was strange. Naruto was away for this whole week, off to meet with the Tsuchikage. Of course Sasuke was used to Naruto not being around- as Naruto was used to _Sasuke_ being away. It was only in this past year since Naruto had become Hokage that things had settled down, and the two of them were together in Konoha most of the time.

 _You used to enjoy your alone time_ , Sasuke said to himself. A much-needed break from that loveable but far too energetic puppy. Yes, that was true- it _had_ been true, at least. When he and Naruto were together, they were _together_ : all over each other, usually in tiny, cramped apartments or hotel rooms. That’s the way it had been for the first- well, at least the first six years they were a couple.

Things were different now. They had space- this huge house and garden. They had a routine, predictable work-lives. _Busy_ working lives. Naruto’s commitments didn’t fall into the usual 9 to 5 working hours; he could be off at meetings or functions, or dealing with problems and emergencies at any time.

Sasuke sighed. Maybe things were just too quiet with Naruto gone. Even the cats were off hiding somewhere. He was up to date with all his paperwork- ahead of everything, even. He’d finished all the housework yesterday. There was nothing he needed to do.

 _Am I lonely?_ he asked himself. Surely not. Sasuke had always preferred his own company. It was _Naruto_ who needed other people around him so badly.

He stood and took his half-empty plate to the kitchen- and that’s when he felt it. It was clear, it was distinct, and it was unmistakable. _Oh_ , he thought to himself; _oh, that’s what it feels like_.

The baby was kicking.

***

What Naruto didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. So what if Sasuke had all four cats in bed with him again tonight? He’d wash the sheets before Naruto got home- no, he would never know!

“It’s his own fault for being away for so long anyway,” Sasuke grumbled, rolling over to face Mr. Socks who was reclining on Naruto’s pillow. “Honestly, why did he need a _week_ for this stupid meeting?”

“Mrr,” Mr. Socks agreed, rubbing his cheek into the pillow. Sasuke reached out and tickled his fluffy dark ears. Seeing this, Midori jumped up onto Sasuke’s side and made her way to the head of the bed for some attention.

It had been five days. The baby- little Go-chan, soon to be Roku-chan- had been kicking often, every day. It was unmistakable. As weird as it felt, he’d been doing it so often that Sasuke was used to it by now- and Naruto was _missing_ it.

“He should be here,” Sasuke growled, removing Midori from his shoulders and rolling over onto his back. “What’s the big deal about being Hokage, anyway…ah, there he goes again.”

Midori gave him a pleased look and poked her tongue out at him. She was a cheeky one, that was for sure. Sasuke set her down beside him and she curled up against his stomach, soon purring steadily.

The baby sure was an active thing, given that Sasuke had barely felt it at all for its first five months. “Mm, not _it_ ,” he said to Mr. Socks. “ _Him_. I guess I should get used to that, huh?”

Mr. Socks inclined his head just slightly, which Sasuke took to mean _yes_.

“It’d be pretty shocking if it came out as a girl in the end…” Sasuke mused. And yet, he felt sure it was a boy. Their son- his and Naruto’s. With lovely, bright blue eyes. And even though he was inside the _clone_ , it felt bizarrely like he was kicking _Sasuke_. Not hard, just softly, as if to say, _I’m right here, you know._

He sighed, switching off his lamp and settling down to sleep. Ao shifted her position at the base of the bed to lie on his feet ( _what’s her deal with feet and legs, honestly_ , Sasuke grumbled to himself) and Ginger stretched out on his other side.

 _At least **you’re** here, kid_ , he said to his son inside his mind. _Even if your dead-last father isn’t._

***

Naruto had been gone for seven days. On the night he came back to Konoha, Sasuke had already gone to bed- was already asleep- but his mind was trained onto Naruto’s chakra even as he slept. And as soon as Naruto approached the wall and entered Konoha, Sasuke was up and out of bed, out of the house and rushing through the trees.

“Naruto!” he called when he spotted his blonde running along the path below him. “Naruto!”

“Sasuke, what’s wrong?” Naruto called, his face alarmed, his shoulders tense. “I felt you leaving home, what are you doing?!”

Sasuke jumped down to the path and grabbed onto Naruto. “The baby’s kicking,” he exclaimed, gripping tight on Naruto’s arms. “He’s _kicking_!”

Naruto froze. “He is?! Since when?” he demanded.

“He’s been kicking all _week_ , and you haven’t been here!” Sasuke shot, grabbing Naruto’s wrist and tugging him along path back towards home. “Come on! You need to feel it for yourself!”

Sasuke dragged him all the way back home and then in through the front door and up the stairs. “Sas, it’s the middle of the night-” Naruto tried to say.

“He was doing it just before, I swear,” Sasuke interrupted, flicking on the lights in the clone’s bedroom and drawing Naruto across the room to her futon. “We just need to wait for him to do it again!”

The clone gazed up at them, her eyes vacant as usual, non-responsive even when Sasuke placed Naruto’s hand on top of her stomach and kept it there with his own, their fingers laced together.

Naruto paled, trembling slightly and giving the clone a wary look. “This is too much, Sas, it feels weird-”

“It’s fine,” Sasuke insisted. Yes, maybe it was weird- Naruto had barely ever touched the clone before, after all! But Naruto was going to love this, Sasuke just knew it. “Just wait. There- did you feel that?”

“I didn’t feel _anything_ ,” Naruto whimpered, his eyes wide, an anxious frown pulling at his mouth. “Did he- did he do something?”

“He’s kicking, just wait for him to do it again nearer your hand,” Sasuke explained, pressing Naruto’s hand tighter to the clone’s stomach. And sure enough, before long the baby gave a sharp, swift kick just below Naruto’s hand.

“Ah!” Naruto cried, pulling his hand away in shock. “Was that it, Sas?? Was he kicking me?!”

“Yes,” Sasuke confirmed, placing Naruto’s hand back on her stomach. “He’s doing it again, can you feel it? He probably knows you’re here.” _Finally, you’re here_ , Sasuke said to himself. After so long!

“He knows it’s me?” Naruto asked, eyes glued to the clone, his cheeks flushed pink with excitement. “Oh, do you really think he does?! Hi, Go-chan, did you miss me? I missed you so much!”

“It’s Roku, as of this morning,” Sasuke corrected. “And sure, he can hear voices in there, can’t he? He’ll recognize them when he comes out to meet us. That’s what Sakura said.”

“He’ll recognise us…” Naruto repeated, a dreamy expression taking over his face. “And he’ll be here so soon! I can’t believe I missed this. Has he been doing it a lot?”

“Well, a fair bit,” Sasuke said to that. “And moving around more than usual. I guess he’s feeling more confident these days.”

“He’s stopped,” Naruto said.

“Yes, he’s probably gone back to sleep now,” Sasuke said, getting to his feet and pulling Naruto up as well.

“He’s sleeping,” Naruto breathed, his voice full of amazement and wonder as he wrapped his arms around Sasuke’s waist, pulling him close. “I’m never leaving again, Sasuke! I’ll send a clone to all future meetings and stay right here with you!”

Sasuke couldn’t help but smile at that. “That’s probably not a practical idea,” he purred, bringing his fingers up to tangle through Naruto’s hair, sighing happily when Naruto nuzzled into the crook of his neck. “People will be so offended. It’ll cause problems.” Not that Sasuke cared about _that_ right now.

“Oh, by the way,” Naruto said, pressing a kiss to his throat. “I noticed our two twins hanging around downstairs. You’ve been letting Mr. Socks sleep on my pillow again, haven’t you?”

Sasuke stiffened. “Of course not!” he scowled, highly offended at the accusation. How dare he!

“Hmm, you’re cute when you try to lie,” Naruto said, tickling his cheek, and then taking his hand and pulling him towards the door. “Come on then, if our son’s sleeping then we should do the same!”

In any case, Sasuke had washed all the sheets very thoroughly and had informed all four cats that they’d need to make other sleeping arrangements from tonight, so it would all be fine. He smiled, tightening his hold on Naruto’s hand and allowing himself to be tugged downstairs towards their bedroom. _That was a really long week._

***


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another great question from a precious commenter! **What's up with Naruto not letting the cats in the bed??** Ah WELL, when Ginger first joined the family as a kitten, she DID sleep with Naruto and Sasuke (in fact, she liked to sleep ON Naruto). Naruto put up with it for Sasuke's sake (he loved that kitten so damn much), but when he realized how much the kitten was interfering with their "special time", he put his foot down. And Sasuke eventually agreed- no cats in the bed. 
> 
> ....buuuuttt sometimes Narukins breaks the rule with Ao; she's very skittish and if it's a stormy night or she's had a scary day, she sleeps at Naruto's feet. And as we know, Sas lets them all sleep with him when Naruto's away. Mr. Socks ALWAYS sleeps on Naruto's pillow, which Kurama believes is his attempt to usurp their (Naruto/Kyuubi's) dominance. Sneaky Mr. Socks! 
> 
> *cough* Anyway! We have a very special chapter, in which I will reveal... **Hachi's real name!** Ehehe since as we know, Hachi is just a nickname, *wink*.

“Papa?” called a tiny voice, breaking through Sasuke’s subconscious. “Papa? Papa- where are you?”

 _I’m here,_ Sasuke thought to himself, looking all around, but he couldn’t see anything- not a damn thing. It was too dark, there was no light at all. _I’m here_ -

“I’m all alone,” the voice cried, so soft, so meek, “you _left_ me-”

 _I’m right here,_ Sasuke thought _, I’m coming to find you, I just can’t **see** you, show me where you are._ He was turning around, he was running, searching, seeking. But still he couldn’t see anything, and all he could hear were those quiet sobs, that heartbreaking sound tugging at the inside of his chest. _Where are you? You have to find me._

“I’m here,” said the voice. Sasuke froze and looked down. … _there you are_. There he was, that tiny blonde boy, those liquid blue eyes drenched in tears; hands rubbing at his dirty face, scratching at the scars across his tear-stained cheeks. “You left me!”

 _I didn’t,_ Sasuke thought. _I’d never leave you-_

“You _did_!” the boy cried, curling up into a ball, his little body trembling. “Everyone did. Papa, mama…”

 _I’m not leaving. I promise._ Sasuke knelt down, reached out slowly, cautiously. The boy’s eyes widened and he curled in on himself tighter. He shrunk away, and his light was fading. _Don’t go. It’ll be dark again._ He was the only light in this world.

“It’s okay,” the boy said, his voice cracked and broken. “You can go-”

 _I won’t!_ Sasuke cried, pulling the boy towards him, wrapping his arms around those tiny, shivering shoulders. _I’m right here._ He squeezed his eyes shut, the sound of the boy’s cries filling his ears. _You’ll be okay._ He ran his hand through that messy blonde hair, softly, so softly, and they stayed together there in the dark until his trembling stilled and his sobs eased.

“Papa?” said a voice. “What’s wrong?”

 _You were crying,_ Sasuke thought. _You were so sad. So lost._

“I’m alright, papa. Let’s go, okay? It’s dark in here.”

Sasuke opened his eyes, looked down at the tiny figure in his arms, those deep blue eyes gazing up at him. _Who are you?_ Sasuke asked, staring at his pale face, his jet-black hair, his warm smile. _Where did he go?_

“Hmm? I’m _me_. Let’s go!” The boy pulled away from Sasuke’s grasp, circled his tiny hand around his wrist, tugged him forward. There was light all around him, and it lit the way through the night.

 _Where are we going?_ Sasuke thought. That other boy, he was still out there. Sasuke couldn’t leave him alone. _No, we can’t-_

“Sasuke?” a voice called, and he turned back, looked back to where they’d been. _Just- just **wait** , I need to-_ “Sas? Sasuke?”

“Come on, papa.”

_No, we can’t, he’s calling._

“Yes, let’s go find him!”

_-oh, that’s where we’re going?_

“Sasuke? Are you- Sas?” The voice was calling him, but he couldn’t respond. He was floating, drifting, he opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. _I’m right here._ There were hands on his shoulders, shaking him softly, a light touch on his cheek. “Sas?”

***

The darkness melted away and the world was flooded with jarring light in an instant. His eyes snapped open and he flew upwards, panting and shaking- where was he? Where did he go-

“Sasuke!” Naruto cried, hands still clenching his shoulders tight. “What’s _wrong_? Where you- was it another nightmare?! But you-”

“Naruto?” Sasuke gasped, looking around him _. I’m home, it’s our bedroom_. “What- what happened?”

“I woke up and you were still sleeping,” Naruto said, an anxious frown on his face. He hovered over Sasuke, resting a hand on his forehead. “But you wouldn’t wake up, even when I called you, and you were- are you sick? You don’t have a fever, but-”

“What time is it?” Sasuke demanded, pushing Naruto’s hands away, shoving the sheets off him. It had been a dream. A strong, powerful dream, but nothing more than that. He was awake now and they needed to get going, it was a weekday.

“It’s almost 8,” Naruto replied, biting his bottom lip. “I-”

“Eight o’clock?!” Sasuke exclaimed. “Why didn’t you wake me? We’ll be _late_!” He moved to the side of the bed and pushed himself up, but then all of a sudden everything was spinning and he-

“Sas, just _wait_ ,” Naruto cried out, sliding over the mattress to take hold of him, lowing him back down to the bed. “Are you okay? Just lie down for a second would you, I’m _worried_!”

“I’m _fine_ ,” Sasuke said back, but he let Naruto hold him, very reluctantly. Naruto was needy like that, and he worried about Sasuke far too much. Sasuke took a deep breath and then another, and gradually the world stopped spinning. “I’m fine,” he said again, but Naruto didn’t let go.

“Are you sure?” Naruto asked, gazing down at him with those wide blue eyes of his. “Sas-”

Sasuke winced. That was _enough_! “Yes,” he growled. “Stop fussing, would you?! So I over-slept for once! It won’t happen again. Come on, we’re going to be late!”

Naruto moved away from him at once. “Right. I’m sorry. I’ll make us some breakfast, okay?” He slipped off the bed and headed for the door.

 _Shit_ , Sasuke thought, not missing the flash of pain that had crossed Naruto’s face so briefly just then. He’d crossed a line. A tremor of guilt flared up inside of him. “Naruto, wait,” he called. “Hang on-”

“We can be late, you know,” Naruto scowled, turning back to him, his expression stormy. “We’re the _bosses_. What’s the big deal?”

Sasuke flinched. So he was angry now- of course he was, it was wrong of Sasuke to snap at him like that. He was just trying to _help_. “Right,” Sasuke said. “Right, we can be. I’m sorry.”

Naruto paused, his eyes narrowed, his expression suspicious. “What’s wrong, Sasuke?”

“Nothing,” Sasuke said back at once. “I- I was dreaming, and I was just confused when you woke me up, that’s all.”

“I should have just let you sleep,” Naruto said, biting his lip, leaning heavily on the doorway. “But I knew how annoyed you’d be when you _did_ wake up, and you were murmuring something. You looked upset, so…”

The dream was fading fast; it would be gone from his mind completely before too long. He _had_ been upset, and now he was feeling so…disorientated, staring over at Naruto’s blue eyes. They were- haunting, like the eyes of the little boy- _both_ of the boys. _There was two of them,_ he reminded himself. _I’m sure they were two separate people_ …

He shook his head, trying to rid himself of those images. “I’m sorry, Naruto. I haven’t been sleeping well, even though I’m so _tired_ …”

“Well, of course you’re tired,” Naruto said, creeping back towards the bed cautiously. “The longest I’ve held onto one of these clones is ten months, you know that? And the jutsu you’re using is more than that. It’s two techniques layered together.”

“I know that,” Sasuke growled. He _knew_ it was difficult. Did Naruto think he couldn’t manage it all? Because he _could_. “And I’m doing it, okay? It’s no problem-”

“It’s wearing you out,” Naruto interrupted. “It’s pulling on your chakra reserves like crazy. It’d be easier if you just admitted that-”

“I said I’m _fine_ ,” Sasuke said, and this time his snapping, angry tone regressed into a whine. He fell down onto his pillows, bringing the blankets up to his chin. “I’m _handling_ it, Naruto!”

Naruto breathed out heavily, moving closer still and perching right on the edge of the bed. “Yes, you are,” he agreed, his voice soft and placating. “You’re a little tired today, but that’s alright.”

“It _is_ alright,” Sasuke sulked. “Come here, would you?” He was sick of Naruto being so far away.

“Hmm?” Naruto said to that, looking surprised. “Oh, but-”

“Come _here_ ,” Sasuke repeated, reaching out and grabbing onto Naruto’s wrist, tugging him forward. “I just want to- lie here for a bit, okay? And then we’ll go to work.”

“Okay, Sasuke,” Naruto murmured, letting himself be pulled to Sasuke’s side, moulded into place. He sighed. “I’d lie here all day if you wanted.”

 _Yes, I know_ , Sasuke thought to himself. They stayed like that in silence, Sasuke shifting down to rest his chin on Naruto’s shoulder, sighing contentedly when Naruto brought his arm around his back, trailing his fingers up and down his spine. _What is **wrong** with me,_ Sasuke thought. _All he did was wake me up and asked if I was okay_.

“I don’t know how you put up with me,” Sasuke muttered under his breath.

“Huh?” Naruto said to that. “Um…aren’t you the one that puts up with me?”

Sasuke blinked, angling his face upwards to look at Naruto. He seemed completely serious. Sasuke frowned. Well no, clearly _Sasuke_ was the harder one to live with, especially now. “But I’m so grumpy all the time,” he scowled, “and I nag you about things being clean…”

“I like things being clean,” Naruto said. “And you probably wouldn’t be so grumpy if I wasn’t so _annoying_.”

That was probably Sasuke’s cue to say something like, _oh Naruto, you’re not **that** annoying_ \- but that would be a blatant lie. Sasuke bit back a smirk, hiding his face against Naruto’s arm again, grinning to himself.

“I guess I’m a little grumpier than usual lately,” Sasuke admitted.

“Ah well, it says in the book that-”

Sasuke looked up at once and Naruto froze, letting out a little squeak. “Oh?” Sasuke demanded. “And what does the _book_ say about it all?”

Naruto flushed bright pink. “It- it just says that…um, _during the third trimester, a little extra irritability is to be expected_ ,” he quoted. “ _Be gentle and have patience with your partner, as she_ -”

“I see,” Sasuke snapped. “And what does the book say should be done with such an irritable and irrational creature?!”

“Ah,” Naruto began, looking beyond flustered, “you know, back rubs, foot massages, long bubble baths, some gentle walks, maybe. Healthy but hearty meals. And, um…”

“And?” Sasuke prompted. Oh yes, he would ask for _all_ those things now that he knew they were in Naruto’s precious book. “Go on! What else?”

“Er, well, it says that you may not feel like, um… _physical intimacy_ , but if you _do_ , then I should-”

“Right,” Sasuke interrupted. “Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. You’ll send a clone to tell the office we’ll be late and to attend your morning meeting instead.”

“Yes, sir,” Naruto said at once. “And then?”

“Then we’re going to stay right here for some of that _physical intimacy_ your book suggested.”

Naruto squeaked again. “Yes, sir!”

***

It was all just so _frustrating_. Sasuke had been ridiculously tired back in the beginning of all this- he’d been sleep-walking through work sometimes. And the nausea…no, that had not been fun either. But that was all finished and done with. He’d felt great- perfectly healthy- for almost three months now. Sure, he could still feel the tug on his chakra, the contract stream of energy being diverted into the clone, but Sasuke had a lot of chakra to give- so it was fine.

Now, though. Now, well, it wasn’t _fine_. He was more exhausted than ever before.

“It’s exponential,” Sakura said to him gently, as he sat moping at her dining-room table. “The demand on your chakra reserves. The clone is pulling more and more chakra from you every day, a higher amount each time. It will probably get harder before the end.”

“I’d rather it didn’t,” Sasuke said to that, holding his head in his hands. “Even now, all I want to do is _sleep_.” And he had far too much work for that. He didn’t have time to be tired!

“I guess you’re experiencing the clone’s tiredness as well,” Sakura comments. “But you’ve made progress with the barrier, haven’t you?”

Sasuke nodded. He’d gone as far with that as he dared. “I’ll just start drinking more coffee,” he said with a sigh.

Sakura giggled at that. “Yes, at least you don’t need to follow any of those silly pregnancy rules. One cup of coffee a day at most, no re-heated meat, stay away from soft cheeses.”

“…I guess so,” Sasuke said, with a wry smile.

“Oh, there you are!” came Naruto’s voice as he barged in through the side-door. “You just left work without telling me, you know!”

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. As if. He always let Naruto know when he was leaving- oh. Except… _had_ he? He couldn’t remember. “I’m sure I told you,” he said, pulling out a chair for Naruto to sit at and pouring him some tea. “Anyway, you were working late, so.”

“I don’t know other people do it,” Naruto muttered, draining his cup in one go. “Like, normal people who can’t just _feel_ where their husbands are at all times.”

“Don’t be a creep, Naruto,” Sakura scolded. “It freaks people out to hear about your weird chakra-tracking thing!”

“It’s true,” Sasuke agreed, even though their _weird chakra-tracking thing_ came in very handy. “Have you eaten yet? Shall we go home for dinner?”

“Yes please,” Naruto said with a sigh. “I think your tiredness is rubbing off on me, Sas. Let’s have an early night, okay?”

That was exactly what Sasuke planned on doing.

***

The weeks dragged by. As he’d suspected would happen, Sasuke needed a lot more coffee than usual to make it through the day. And then at night, he’d be fast asleep hours before Naruto. It was _mortifying_.

“Everything’s still getting done,” Shikamaru said to him one morning. “You don’t need to look so stressed all the time.”

“Yeah, good luck with that one!” Naruto interjected, wandering into the room and dumping a pile of folders on Sasuke’s desk. “Nothing’s gonna get him to relax, don’t you think I’ve been trying?”

“Get out,” Sasuke growled at him, shooting him a warning glare before he said anything more on _that_ topic. Yes, Naruto had become quite creative at inventing ways to make Sasuke “relax”- not that any of them had _worked_.

“Look, if anything, we’re far ahead of where we thought we’d be this time last year,” Shikamaru went on. “Things are going well.”

“Which is what I keep saying, but he doesn’t believe me, the dear sweet thing,” Naruto cooed, running his hand through Sasuke’s hair.

“Get _out_ ,” Sasuke repeated, snapping his jaws at Naruto’s fingers when they came too close to his cheeks.

“Okay, okay!” Naruto teased, ruffling his hair some more and then spinning on his heels and heading for the door. “I’ve gotta stop by the Academy anyway. I’ll see you both later!”

So what if they were ahead of schedule? With this job, you had to expect the unexpected. Things happened all the time- emergencies and such- and they had to be dealt with. No, it was not okay for Sasuke to be feeling so…incapacitated. Why didn’t Naruto understand that?! Every time he told Sasuke to just take it easy, Sasuke wanted to _scream_.

“By the way,” Shikamaru added, and Naruto paused before he left the room. “I’m sure you’ve already got it all figured out but, what’re you planning to do with the kid when it’s born? Are you getting a nanny?”

Sasuke froze. A…nanny? “What do mean?” he asked, exchanging a confused glance with Naruto. “Why would we need a nanny?”

Shikamaru’s face fell into a carefully-composed, neutral expression- the one usually saved for when he was dealing with idiots. “Both of you work full-time,” he said, speaking slowly. “ _More_ than full-time. Who’ll be taking care of the baby?”

…oh. Right. They-

“Um,” said Naruto. “We…well, we…”

Shikamaru sighed. “You haven’t thought about it at all, have you?” he said, arms crossed against his chest.

“…no,” Naruto confirmed.

“Obviously we _would_ have thought about it,” Sasuke added. “…eventually.” But there was heaps of time! They didn’t need to worry about stuff like that yet. Right?

“Right, so you’d think about it when you were holding a screaming infant in your arms?” Shikamaru said. “Look, one of you at least will have to cut back on your hours. I worked from home for three months after mine was born, remember?”

Sasuke shuddered. Oh, that had been awful. Kakashi had been in a bad mood for those whole three months without Shikamaru around. He’d been so close to blocking that time from his memory- why did Shikamaru have to bring it up again?

“I don’t know if we could do that,” Naruto said, glancing at Sasuke; and he was right, of course. How could either of them realistically cut any hours? “But, um, a nanny? I really don’t think…”

Shikamaru sighed. “Put some thought into it. Quickly.” Then he picked up his documents and headed back to his own office.

Naruto just turned and stared at Sasuke blankly, and Sasuke returned the look.

***

“…shit,” Naruto muttered as they walked home from the tower. “I never even thought about what we’d do with the thing!”

“No kidding,” Sasuke muttered back. And for someone who prided himself on being forward-thinking, that was quite a big oversight. The baby would be here in a few months, and it would demand a lot of attention. Sasuke had been so focused on just getting to that stage, on what a _relief_ it would be to let the clone go, that he hadn’t been thinking of the baby at _all._

“How could we have let this happen?” Naruto moaned. “We’re both so busy, why didn’t it occur to us that we’d be adding a baby to all that?”

“Because,” Sasuke growled, “I forbade us from thinking about it as a _baby_ at all.” He’d forbidden them from imagining life with their child, on how everything would change. They were paying the price for that now.

Naruto blinked. “Oh,” he said. “…oh, well, I don’t know about that…”

“It’s _true_ ,” Sasuke maintained. “I made us both believe that it would fail. I was _ready_ for it to fail. And now the baby’s almost here, and we don’t have anything for him, no clothes, no food, no crib- no _time_!” Oh, he was panicking. What were they going to do?! This was awful, this was really bad-

“Ah, but it’ll be okay, Sas!” Naruto said, grabbing his hand and holding it tight. “We’ll figure something out, I promise! And hey, if we both have to work all the time, we could just have a clone babysit for us-”

“No!” Sasuke interrupted, “no more clones, ever! He’s _our_ baby, Naruto, we’re going to take care of him ourselves!”

Naruto stiffened. “…right. Okay. So that rules out a nanny, as well.”

“I’ll work from home,” Sasuke declared. “I’ll start training my staff right away. I can always send messengers to and from the tower if I need to. And-”

“I can take time off as well,” Naruto offered. “I need to get better at using my time anyway. And maybe I can take the baby with me sometimes, when I go to visit places around town. Plus, he’ll be sleeping a lot, right?”

“He _better_ sleep a lot,” Sasuke glowered. “We’ll have so much to do. And Yuzu _loved_ going to the childcare centre at the tower, though you can’t send babies there…” He sighed.

“We’re such idiots,” Naruto said, still gripping Sasuke’s hand tight. “Our poor boy. We’ve barely made any decisions at all.”

“At least he has a bedroom,” Sasuke said, half to himself. “Even if it doesn’t have any furniture in it.” And they should probably paint it as well- it was just stark white now, and so empty with just a folded-up futon in there.

“We have one outfit for him to wear as well,” Naruto added. “It’s a super-cute one, too!”

“And let’s face it, Kakashi owes me a _lot_ of babysitting hours,” Sasuke mused. He’d spent so long taking take of baby Yuzu when she was a baby. He wasn’t sure that babysitter-Kakashi was the _greatest_ idea, but as a last resort…

Naruto smirked. “Ah, and if he kicks up a fuss about that, I _am_ the Hokage, so…” So. Payback time.

“Oh, and,” Sasuke said, biting his bottom lip and suddenly feeling anxious, “I have a name. I decided on a name.”

Naruto stopped walking and stared at Sasuke with wide, shocked eyes. “You _do_?” he exclaimed. “What is it?!”

Sasuke blushed. He hadn’t quite meant to say that out-loud. “No, it’s just an idea,” he quickly corrected, even though that was a lie. He _knew_ what their son’s name would be; he had known for weeks. “Really, we’ve barely started talking about that, so…”

“Tell me,” Naruto insisted. “Because I’ve thought about it and thought about it, and I’ve gotten nowhere! Nothing seems right at all.”

…but what if Sasuke _did_ tell him, and Naruto didn’t like the name…? What would they do then? _I shouldn’t have let myself get attached to the name_ , Sasuke scolded himself.

“It just…came to me,” Sasuke said, hesitantly. “It feels a little silly.”

Naruto bounded around in front of him, a bright, excited grin on his face. “What is it, Sasuke? Please? Tell me?”

Sasuke bit his lip again. “…Hikaru,” he murmured, turning his face away. “I want to name him Hikaru.”

Silence. When Sasuke dared to look back at Naruto, he was just standing there, wide-eyed, frozen in place.

“Say something, idiot!” Sasuke scowled. “What do you think?!”

“…Hikaru,” Naruto said with a little frown. “Our son. Hikaru.”

“Yes,” Sasuke muttered. Because he would be a shining light. Just like in his dreams. His blush deepened. It was so embarrassing. No, it was too much, Naruto wouldn’t like it, he-

“It’s perfect,” Naruto gushed. “Oh, Sasuke! It’s _perfect_!”

He blinked. “Really?” he said. “You- you don’t hate it?”

“I _love_ it!” Naruto exclaimed, flinging his arms around Sasuke’s waist and pulling him in for a bear-hug, with such exuberance that Sasuke actually felt his feet leave the ground. “It’s perfect! Hikaru!”

“Hikaru,” Sasuke repeated, burying his face in Naruto’s shoulder, smiling so wide it hurt. Oh, Naruto liked it- their baby had a name! No crib, only one piece of clothing, and no-one to look after him, but he had a name- and that was something at least!

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh so what do y'll think?? It's kinda cheesy..."Hikaru" as in, "light". It will be written in katakana (ヒカル) to match with Naruto and Sasuke's names (ナルト &サスケ ), but if it were written in kanji it would be 光. .....lol but everyone really does call him "Hachi" though!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So originally this fic was meant to be 14 chapters + epilogue, but it’s now 16 chapters + epilogue. Heh, I couldn’t resist turning that one brief mention of ‘what Taka’s up to’ into a proper sub-plot, and adding a few other scenes in as well. Writing and publishing this fic has just been too nice to give up!!
> 
> Thanks for all your lovely comments on chapter 11 as usual! As many of you guessed, Sas’s emotions are pulling him in a lot of different directions lately, as shown by his dream. I suppose the main point of the dream, though, was to show his fear of what might happen to his and Naruto’s child in the future. No matter how much they might love him, both his and Naruto’s lives are proof that things can go very wrong and have a profound impact on a child. 
> 
> Ahhhh but let’s put aside the angst for the meantime! Onwards to chapter 12!

“You _foolish_ children!” Tsunade proclaimed, shooting them all one of her most withering, disparaging glares. “Of all the reckless things the three of you have _ever_ done, this really takes the cake!”

“So you didn’t tell her, then,” Sasuke murmured to Sakura, as they all stood in the examination room while the clone had her latest ultra-sound. He shifted a little to glance around the fuming former Hokage. She was standing right in the way of the screen.

Sakura shot him a quick, sneaky grin. “Of course I didn’t tell her,” she said back. “Would _you_ have told her?”

“No,” he replied, shivering slightly at the force of the woman’s anger.

“But baa-chan,” Naruto whined, “aren’t you _happy_? You’re getting a great-grandchild! Look at him, isn’t he _cute_?!” he added, tracing his fingers across the ultra-sound screen over the baby’s miniature features. He was standing less than ten centimetres away from the screen, positively glowing as he took in the sight of his son.

“Watch it, kid,” Tsunade muttered at that, looking highly offended. “Great-grandchild indeed!”

“Our little Shichi-chan,” Naruto cooed to the screen, looking beside himself with happiness.

“Sakura!” Tsunade exclaimed, turning away from Naruto with an exasperated exhalation. “How could you be so _reckless_? Putting a baby inside a _clone_. What on earth possessed you?!”

Sakura shrugged off the criticism, not looking at all bothered to have the full force of her former teacher’s disapproval weighing down on her. “All our tests and research indicated that it would work. And it _is_ working,” she said, turning briefly from the obstetrician’s side. “We’re at 32 weeks and the baby is doing very well.”

“It’s not like it’s just any old clone, baa-chan,” Naruto went on. “It’s one of _my_ clones, and it’s _my_ special technique. You know, my-”

“Naruto,” Sasuke growled. “Do _not_ say that name out loud.” Naruto should _never_ be allowed to name jutsus- even the ones he invented himself.

Naruto grinned at him. “Sure thing, babe,” he said with a wink.

Sasuke breathed a frustrated sigh. He moved to the side of the room and found a chair, falling into it as gracefully as he could manage. He was _exhausted_ , and having the former Hokage suddenly show up in Konoha and barge in during their ultra-sound was not making his day any easier.

“Everything okay?” Naruto said, leaving the screen and coming over to him at once.

“Just- tired,” Sasuke replied wearily, not seeing the point in trying to hide it. “And all this isn’t helping,” he added, waving to the tension-filled room.

“You can be sure I’ll be going through all of these so-called _tests_ and _research_ with a fine-toothed comb at _once_ ,” Tsunade went on, broadcasting her disapproval throughout the room.

“Certainly, sensei,” Sakura said placidly, looking up from the screen and away from her files where she was making tidy little notes. “It’s all in my office. You’re welcome to it.”

“And let it be known that I am _not_ pleased this was done in my hospital, without my knowledge!” she decreed. “This has to be the most bizarre thing I have _ever_ heard-”

“Orochimaru wanted to use my body to achieve immortality,” Sasuke muttered, interrupting.

Silence fell on the room at once, and they all turned to face him.

“Um…Sasuke?” Sakura asked, looking highly confused.

“I’m just saying,” Sasuke went on with a shrug. “Weirder things have happened. Weirder than this.”

“Hmm,” Naruto said to that. “You know, you might have a point there, kitten-”

“And Naruto has a demon inside him,” Sasuke continued. “One that’s been there since he was _born_ , and they have conversations and everything. They’re _friends_. I still find that more than a little strange.”

“Ah, is it the _demon_ part or the _friends_ part, Sas?” Naruto asked with a grin, his eyes bright and amused.

“Both,” Sasuke growled.

“Oh, and we built you both new arms after the war,” Sakura added. “ _That_ was pretty strange. Then Naruto lost it, and we made him _another_ one-”

“I don’t see what that has to do with this child,” Tsunade snapped.

“Oh! And Sasuke and I are apparently the reincarnates of Madara and Hashirama, who were in turn reincarnates of Asura and Indra,” Naruto said, a look of victory on his face. “If we’re talking about _weird_ , that _has_ to top the list, right?!” he crowed.

“Mm,” Sasuke agreed. “Reincarnated brothers. And now we sleep together,” he added.

“You married us yourself, Tsunade-baa-chan,” Naruto said with a grin. “How does that make you feel?”

“It makes me feel that you are a _brat_ ,” Tsunade growled. “And you are _reckless_ , doing this all without my approval!” she added, turning to Sakura.

“I think we’re made our point,” Naruto said to Sasuke with a satisfied nod, running his hand across Sasuke’s forehead comfortingly. “Good job.”

“Mm,” Sasuke said to that, shrugging and leaning into Naruto’s touch, and looking past the three of them to the ultra-sound screen. He just wanted them all to be quiet. He still hadn’t had a proper look at the baby, and he was starting to feel very restless. Thirty-two weeks sounded like a lot. Had it really been that long?

“Sakura,” Tsunade began again, “I hope you have a very good justification for all of this-”

“In any case,” Naruto interrupted, moving away from Sasuke to stand between them. “It’s been done, and it’s working. Perhaps you’d like to examine that research now? We’re in the middle of our appointment,” he added, a steely edge to his voice.

Tsunade stopped talking at once, staring over at Naruto as if she couldn’t believe that Naruto had just used _that_ voice on _her_.

Sasuke shivered. Oh, that had been good. His dead-last could go from blonde brat to Seventh Hokage in three seconds flat.

“Well,” Tsunade said, arms folded across her chest, “I will see you in your office the second you are done here!” she shot at Sakura, turning and sweeping out of the room.

“That’s a relief,” Sakura muttered, staring at the door once it closed. “Thank you, Naruto-kun.”

“She’s so _happy_!” Naruto grinned, bounding back over to the ultra-sound screen. “She can’t wait to meet her great-grandson. Look, Sasuke, look at his little face- isn’t he _adorable_?” Naruto went on, gushing.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. As if this grainy black and white image could be called _adorable_. “I’d rather know if he’s healthy,” Sasuke said to that, turning to Sakura and the doctor.

“He is,” Dr. Sato confirmed- looking more relieved than anyone else to have the woman who was technically her boss out of the way. “He’s still measuring a little smaller than average, but we would expect to see that with a smaller-framed mother- ah, parent,” she went on.

“We’ve reached a real turning point here,” Sakura quickly said, taking over from the suddenly flustered woman. “Obviously he’s still small, and it’ll still be a while before he’s ready to come out and meet us all, but he’s got everything he needs. Everything’s _there_.”

“Right,” the obstetrician added. “The next two months will just be about getting bigger and stronger.”

“He certainly _looks_ like a proper baby,” Naruto cooed to the screen. “So different than last month!”

“Everything’s in proportion now,” Dr. Sato explained.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. “So what you’re saying is, if he were born now he would- survive?” he asked.

Sakura and the doctor exchanged a glance. “We don’t want him to be born for another two months, Sasuke,” Sakura said, her face carefully composed.

“Forty weeks is always best,” the obstetrician confirmed with a nod.

“But if something happened,” Sasuke pressed. “If it couldn’t be avoided, and he was born _now_?”

“He would be- very small,” Sakura said. “It would be…difficult.”

“I’m sure you’re feeling a little tired,” Dr. Sato went on, putting on her soothing voice. “The last trimester can be quite exhausting.”

Sasuke growled under his breath. What would _she_ know?

“But it _did_ say in the book that he could survive outside the womb,” Naruto said. Sasuke had no idea how he felt about him using those words, but was happy for the support anyway. “Any earlier than this and there would be virtually no chance.”

“You’re not wrong,” the doctor said. “If something _did_ happen, we’d be able to help him survive. So if it puts your mind at ease, then yes, you’re correct.”

“But he’s staying in there for another eight weeks,” Sakura instructed. “Understand?”

Sasuke nodded. “Sure. Eight weeks. No problem,” he lied.

“I want lots of copies of these photos, Sakura-chan,” Naruto said, changing the subject. “He’s so cute I can’t even stand it!”

“Very well,” Sakura said, seeming relieved to move on. “And yes, he is very, very cute,” she added, exchanging grins with Naruto.

Sasuke sighed. How either of them could find _cute_ in that image, he’d never know.

***

“Well _that_ was rough!” Naruto exclaimed as they headed out of the hospital. “How did she even find out about the baby? I thought she’d be away until next year at least!”

“You didn’t really think you could keep it from her, did you?” Sasuke murmured, his eyes on the clone who was walking in front of them. She had a noticeable waddle in her step. Sakura had been walking perfectly normal at seven months’ pregnant- so what was wrong?

“It’s Sakura’s hospital now, whatever baa-chan says, anyway,” Naruto went on. “Hey, are you alright? You’re a bit…quiet today.”

“I’m always quiet,” Sasuke grumbled. So what if he was a little tired? He was allowed to be- he was working very hard here! And something _must_ be wrong with the clone, she just felt…off.

Naruto circled his arm around Sasuke’s waist, nipping his cheek. “Like the doctor said, things might get rough from now on. Maybe you should rest more- ah! I take it back!” Naruto stammered, when his words drew Sasuke’s ire at once.

“I’m far too busy to be _resting_ ,” he growled.

“I know you are,” Naruto agreed at once. “And the thought of you being at the tower less often makes me feel freakishly panicky, but the baby comes first! I could just…do more paperwork myself…”

Sasuke scoffed at that. As if.

“I could _try_ ,” Naruto went on.

“Yes, dear,” Sasuke murmured dutifully. “I’m sure you could.”

Naruto grinned at that and kissed him again. “Okay! What do you want for dinner? I’ll make you whatever you want!”

***

Sasuke stormed back home from the post-office, yanking open the front door and slamming it behind him. “Naruto!” he yelled out. “You won’t believe this! I _told_ you they were acting weird!!”

When Naruto didn’t respond or appear, Sasuke growled to himself and went husband-hunting. He found his blonde in the training room, sitting cross-legged on the tatami with his eyes lightly closed. Sasuke growled again and slumped to the floor. Naruto was meditating; Sasuke wouldn’t be able to tell him the outrageous news until he was done.

It seemed to Sasuke that resuming your meditation practice right before a needy infant joined the family might not be the _best_ decision, but nonetheless Naruto had been trying to do this once a day for the past few weeks. He’d been so good at it years ago, but he’d let those skills go.

 _Well, I’d rather he do **this** than work on that damn teleportation jutsu_ , Sasuke thought to himself. Though, Sasuke suspected that Naruto’s failure with that technique was probably what he was meditating on.

Sasuke let out a frustrated breath and laid down on the tatami, stretching out and trying to relax. That didn’t work at _all_ , so he settled for opening the envelope in his clenched fist and re-reading the letter that Taka had sent him, glaring at the accompanying photos. Of all the reasons he’d imagined- all the things he’d thought they could be up to- it certainly wasn’t _this_!

He turned his head and gazed over at Naruto’s still, unmoving form. His breathing had changed and he was moving slightly, so Sasuke knew he was coming out of his trance. Naruto could feel Sasuke’s presence even when he was like this, but it took a while to come back to the real world.

But finally Naruto opened his eyes and relaxed his shoulders, looking over at Sasuke next to him and smiling. “Hey there,” he said. “What’s up?”

Sasuke held the two photos out to him wordlessly. “See for yourself,” he muttered. “And see just what Taka’s been doing these past few months!”

“Are they with Orochimaru at the moment?” Naruto asked, leaning over and taking the photos from him with a clearly apprehensive expression on his face. “At the base?”

Sasuke shook his head. “They’ve been travelling again. Well, they _were_ \- but now!”

Naruto turned his attention to the photos, narrowing his eyes. One picture showed a sleeping baby wrapped up in a blanket, and the other was of the same baby being held by a cross and tired-looking Karin.

“Sasuke,” Naruto asked, his tone carefully composed. “…whose baby is this?”

Sasuke shifted, pulling out the letter from Suigetsu and clearing his throat before reading it out loud. “ _To Sasuke_ ,” he read. “ _A few months ago we were travelling through the borderlands between Fire and Earth countries when a group of creepy old people approached us and dumped this screaming brat in our camp. They told us he was Orochimaru’s son_ -”

Naruto made a high-pitched squeaking sound at that and snatched at the letter. “Um, _what_?!” he exclaimed. “There’s no way-”

“Just listen,” Sasuke scolded, shoving him away. “ _So we wrote to Oro and he said it was about time and ordered us to deliver the kid to him, but Karin said that the ANBU were still watching the base and would take the baby as soon as they saw him. Which I thought was just fine but Karin and Juugo had to go and get themselves attached to the brat so we just kept travelling. But we’re handing ourselves in now anyway because Karin wants to do some tests, so we’ll be in Konoha sometime soon_.”

Naruto looked stunned. He took another close look at the photos, wide-eyed and alarmed, turning one over and reading the small printed text there. “Mitsuki,” he read. “The baby’s name?”

“Who _knows_ ,” Sasuke said with a shrug and a growl. “But why is everyone having babies?!”

Naruto scoffed at that, handing the photos back to Sasuke. He made a seal and a clone popped into existence and headed out through the sliding doors. “I guess I’ll be meeting with Yamato first thing in the morning! They _have_ still been watching Orochimaru, and _very_ closely, so I don’t see how it’s possible-”

“They should have been watching Taka,” Sasuke interrupted, scowling.

“Aww Sas, they’re your _friends_!” Naruto said back. “And they’ve been perfectly well-behaved for _years_. No need to waste ANBU time on them! …or so I thought, anyway.” He sighed. “You don’t think…I mean, this is probably just some random kid, right? It doesn’t even look like him…”

Sasuke shrugged again. “Who knows what Orochimaru really looks like?! And I wouldn’t put it past him. But why would he even _want_ a son?”

“ _We’re_ having a son,” Naruto pointed out.

“What’s that got to do with it?” Sasuke muttered. “And there’s no need to remind me. He’s been kicking all morning.”

“Has he really?” Naruto asked with a bright grin, shifting closer to Sasuke and pulling him up into a sitting position. “He’s getting bigger now though, surely he’s running out of room to move around!”

 _Probably what he seems so annoyed about_ , Sasuke thought to himself with a wince, as the baby gave the clone a particularly swift and sharp kick. He sighed. “What are we going to do?” he said, waving the letter at Naruto.

“Mm, what _can_ we do?” Naruto said. “They’re already on their way, so. I’ll see what Yamato thinks and then we can make arrangements for- tests. But…he’s just a baby, we should be…gentle,” Naruto added.

Sasuke nodded, nestling closer and resting his head on Naruto’s shoulder. At least Naruto didn’t seem too alarmed or panicked about it- unlike how Sasuke had been feeling just half an hour ago. In any case, they’d find out soon. He stifled a yawn. His trip into town and that unwelcome news had completely worn him out, and he was very ready for a nap. Now, if only the baby would stop kicking for just a _little_ while so he could sleep.

***

Sasuke reclined back in his chair and let his mind wander, as in front of him an army of Naruto’s clones attacked the small house in the woods that Taka would be staying in when they arrived. There was nothing more relaxing than watching his dead-last work so hard. Naruto had cleared and weeded the small yard, swept the verandas, and opened all the windows to air the house out. Now he and the clones were mopping all the floors, scrubbing the kitchen, and pulling the futons out of storage.

 _He’s such a good boy_ , Sasuke mused to himself, as his eyes ran up the bulging bare arms of one of the clones hanging futons over the upstairs railing. Who would have thought that Naruto could ever have become this responsible and thoughtful?

 _I should reward him later_ , he added, and then sighed, slumping down lower in his chair. ‘Rewarding’ Naruto took so much energy, though- energy that he just didn’t have these days. He closed his eyes and tried to be grateful that he himself wasn’t physically pregnant. He might be able to _feel_ it all, but the poor clone- she was having a rough time of it at the moment, up every five minutes to go to the bathroom, and struggling to get comfortable enough to sleep.

“Can you just imagine the three of them with a _baby_?” chirped Naruto’s cheerful voice, and Sasuke opened his eyes to find him standing behind the chair leaning on the edge. “Ah, sorry babe. Where you sleeping?”

“No, just- resting for a bit,” Sasuke replied. “And god no, that poor baby!” he went on. He could just imagine what Suigetsu was doing to it. And Karin- how would she handle hours of high-pitched screaming? At least Juugo was there, but he was probably treating the baby like a puppy or injured bird.

Naruto laughed at that. “Well, we’ll get to see it for ourselves before too long! And at least they’re finally coming to visit. You’ll like that, won’t you?” Naruto asked, leaning down and brushing Sasuke’s hair off his face.

“Mm,” Sasuke murmured.

According to Yamato- who’d immediately sent out scouts to locate and ‘escort’ Taka back to Konoha- they’d be here in a little over a week. Sasuke was looking forward to seeing them, on some level, but mostly he was mad that they’d kept this from him for so long. How could they have kept Mitsuki a secret?! It was _reckless_ , that’s what it was!

“Speaking of babies,” Naruto went on, still running his fingers through Sasuke’s hair. “Is, um, is Ino…?”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “Yes, Naruto, Ino’s pregnant. Her baby’s due a few months after our son. Did you really only just notice?!” He glanced up and shot Naruto a disparaging look. Honestly, it wasn’t like Ino was making a big deal out of it- but it was obvious to anyone by now!

Naruto blushed. “Ahhh well! I didn’t want to say anything cause, you know, I wasn’t sure if- but that’s great! A friend for Shichi-chan, hey? Oh, that’s the last of the futons done. We’re almost done here Sas, and then we can go home!”

Sasuke reached up and tugged Naruto down towards him, kissing the tip of his nose and then nipping his bottom lip. “Mm, okay,” he purred, kissing him deeper and then nuzzling Naruto’s warm cheeks.

Naruto’s blush intensified and he staggered backwards when Sasuke let him go. “What was that for?!” he exclaimed, rubbing his cheeks and looking embarrassed.

“You deserved it,” Sasuke hummed. “You’ve been a good boy today.”

“Aww, someone’s got to do it!” Naruto stammered, brushing off the complement but looking immensely pleased with Sasuke’s words. “Okay! Let’s get this done!” He raced off back inside the house, calling out to the clones with renewed energy and determination.

Yes, that was his Naruto. So eager to please, and so easy to reward. He was a good boy, and he was kind and thoughtful. At least Sasuke didn’t have to worry about what would happen to Taka and their infant charge when they arrived. With Naruto as Hokage, he was sure that everything would be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A quick note on Ino: in this ‘Verse, she’s married to a civilian- a big, burly, brunette carpenter. They have twin boys a little younger than Yuzu; they appeared briefly in my fic “I Do”. And soon they’ll have a daughter, Noriko-chan, about the same age as Hachi!)
> 
> And YES, it's [THAT](http://naruto.wikia.com/wiki/Mitsuki) Mitsuki! I.e. the only part of the post-ch.698 canonverse I'll accept, *sigh*. I'm pretty much making up his history though, since we don't know that much about him except that Orochimaru is his "parent" (lol and he actually says "parent", not "mother" or "father", bwahaha!)


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wahhhh sorry for the late update!! Life, you know, and I've also been spending a lot of time on "Something New" as well. I hope this chapter is worth the wait!!

Sasuke sat in stunned silence listening to Taka explain how they’d acquired little Mitsuki. They were sitting on the broad veranda of the little house in the woods. Juugo was diligently following after the baby, who was crawling up and down the wooden floorboards and occasionally tottering over the edge.

“So he screamed for _hours_ ,” Suigetsu continued, scowling over at the blue-haired baby, “and nothing we did shut him up! Finally he just passed out and fell asleep, thank _god_.” From across the room Mitsuki sent him a wide, toothy grin, which evidently did nothing to improve Suigetsu’s mood.

“We were strangers to him. He was frightened,” Juugo pointed out, picking Mitsuki up before he fell off the veranda. He sat down and pulled a stuffed mouse out of his pocket, handing it over to the baby.

“He was being deliberately bratty!” Suigetsu retorted, and from the other side of the veranda Karin nodded in agreement. “And he _still_ does it! You spoil him rotten, you’re an easy mark!”

Sasuke frowned. “So these people, whoever they were…they just _left_ him with you? They didn’t even give you any information or guidance, _anything_?” It was the height of irresponsibility. Taking care of babies wasn’t a natural skill that everyone just possessed inside of them! It had to be learnt.

Sasuke gazed over at the gurgling infant with a renewed sense of sympathy. Mitsuki stuck the toy mouse in his mouth and crawled out of Juugo’s lap, heading for Karin’s outstretched arms.

“They left us with a few supplies,” Karin said, settling the baby on her hip. “A spare outfit and some diapers, and that powder stuff that turns into milk. He didn’t want to drink that anyway, and we didn’t trust it. It could have been anything!” she went on, glaring down at the ground.

“Well, he’s still alive,” Sasuke commented. “And he looks reasonably healthy, so…you must have figured it out, in the end.” But really, if they’d just come straight to Konoha, they would have had all the help they needed. Yes, he was still annoyed about that- of course he was!

“We managed to buy more baby formula,” Juugo explained. “Eventually we discovered which brand he likes and how much he’ll drink at a time.”

“Sounds like he had total control over all three of you,” Sasuke muttered. The baby certainly _acted_ imperiously towards the three of them, as if he knew that they were all at his command. Yet he seemed fond of them, also, and there was no doubt that Taka adored him- even Suigetsu.

“Now that we’re here, maybe we can figure out what the hell he is,” Suigetsu growled. “He’s no normal kid. He’s too _smart_.”

“We don’t even know how _old_ he is,” Karin added.

Sasuke gazed over at Mitsuki, who was chewing on his toy mouse enthusiastically. “Almost one, I’d say, with those teeth,” he guessed. He seemed about the same age as Sakumo. And as for what he _was_ \- well, he seemed a reasonably normal human baby, at least to Sasuke- even with that blue hair of his.

Juugo nodded, turning to face him. “Sasuke, we’d like to keep him with us, if we can,” he murmured, his voice low. “We know the ANBU have already started their tests, but…”

“It’s not like we’re going to lock him up,” Sasuke said to that. In the back of his mind he could feel Naruto approaching the house. Maybe that meant he’d had some results from Sakura. “It would be for the best if the three of you continued to care for him.”

“Yeah, but _you_ don’t have any say in that,” Suigetsu argued. “They could take him away no matter what you think. It’s not your decision.”

“The hell it isn’t,” Sasuke growled. “Don’t you know that this is _my_ town now?”

“I’m sure the Hokage would feel differently about that,” Karin said, glancing past Sasuke to where Naruto was approaching the house from the woods.

“No, it _is_ his town,” Naruto agreed, grinning and waving brightly at the three of them. “They call him the shadow king, you know. And they’re all terrified of him taking time off when our baby’s born. What did you promise them, Sas?”

“That Mitsuki could stay with them,” Sasuke said.

Naruto nodded. “Seems fair. We’re not monsters! We just wanna do a few more tests.”

“And keep us under surveillance,” Suigetsu said, nodding to the ANBU standing guard nearby.

“Well, they’re keeping an eye on the _baby_ ,” Naruto said. “The three of you can come and go as you please. You’re Konoha citizens, after all.”

“They said they probably won’t stay here for very long, unless they’re forced to,” Sasuke said to Naruto, letting the blonde tug him up onto his feet. “They don’t want Mitsuki to grow up in Konoha.”

“We didn’t say that, Sasuke!” Karin retorted with a scowl. “Who knows what will happen in the future? And as if _you’re_ an advocate for children growing up in Konoha, honestly.”

“So what are the results, boss?” Suigetsu called out to Naruto. “What is he?”

“He’s a _baby_ ,” Naruto said with a grin. “And a very cute one!” he added, leaning down and cooing at Mitsuki in Karin’s arms.

“He’s not going to tell us the results yet, moron,” Karin shot at Suigetsu.

“That’s true,” Naruto agreed, still grinning. “I’ve just come to collect Sasuke here. It’s time for his nap.”

Sasuke shot him the dirtiest look he could manage, but unfortunately he was too tired to refute Naruto’s words. He sighed. “Yeah, okay. Let’s go,” he said. “I’ll be back tomorrow,” he said to Taka, glancing at Mitsuki one last time before they left and headed back for their own house.

***

“Well?” Sasuke demanded, as soon as they’d walked away from the house. “What did Sakura find out?”

Naruto frowned and glanced around them, giving Sasuke a significant look. “Sas-”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “Oh, fine!” he said, making a seal and creating a sound barrier around them so that they wouldn’t be overheard. As if Juugo would bother to send his animal spies after them!

“He seems relatively human, Sakura says,” Naruto explained once the barrier was in place. “Though at least one of his parents obviously had a very interesting bloodline limit. Sakura doesn’t recognize it, so it’ll take some more research.”

“ _One_ of his parents?” Sasuke repeated. “You make it sound like he has more than two. Is Orochimaru one of them?”

“Mm, well…I couldn’t really follow what Sakura was saying about his DNA, but it’s- really weird. She says that Orochimaru’s DNA was never stable anyway, and that none of his samples match each other- but Mitsuki’s is too close to be a coincidence, so…”

“So, he’s Orochimaru’s son,” Sasuke concluded.

Naruto hesitated. “…maybe,” he said, a cautious, anxious expression on his face. “Sakura wants to do more tests and consult with all her doctor-friends. And get Tsunade to look at the baby herself.”

“They care about him,” Sasuke said at once. “They want to keep him, I can tell.”

“ANBU and Root are very alarmed. They don’t want Mitsuki to go anywhere near Orochimaru, and they don’t want him to stay in Konoha either,” Naruto said to that. “But…he’s just a baby, and I don’t think we should make any rash decisions. If they’re taking good care of him, why shouldn’t they be allowed to keep him?”

Sasuke let out a breath, suddenly realising just how tense he’d been. They could joke about it all they liked, but ultimately it was Naruto’s decision about what to do with potential threats to Konoha. Sasuke stepped closer and took his hand, lacing their fingers together.

“We should still be careful,” he murmured. “But Mitsuki shouldn’t have to grow up being watched all the time, like some kind of…”

“Freak,” Naruto murmured back, his eyes momentarily dark and serious. “No, he should get a chance at a normal childhood. Well, as normal as it could be with _those_ three,” he added, and all of a sudden he was back to his usual sunny self, smiling brightly at Sasuke. 

Sasuke didn’t think that anything could be _normal_ if Taka was involved, and this was certainly an unexpected turn of events for them. But…they could do it. Karin was smart, Juugo was caring, and Suigetsu- well, he could teach Mitsuki how to swim.

“Ah, this is all highly classified by the way!” Naruto informed him, leaning over and kissing his cheek. “How are you feeling with all this? Stress isn’t good for the baby.”

Sasuke waved a hand and let the sound barrier down. “I’m not stressed,” he growled. “And the baby is _fine_. The clone is fine. We’re all fine.” Sasuke was just very, very tired, and in need of a ten-year nap. All three members of Taka were eager to meet the clone in person, and were beyond curious about the particulars of the baby’s conception- in their usual creepy way.

He wasn’t all that eager to have even more people staring at the clone. The poor thing. Sasuke knew better than anyone that she wasn’t a _person_ \- she didn’t even have thoughts of her own, not really- but she was still, well, “real”, and should be treated nicely.

“Good,” Naruto said. “Of course you’re all fine! And you’ll let me know if you need anything, won’t you?”

“Absolutely,” Sasuke promised, and he did his best to make it sound as if he meant it.

***

They were sitting at Sasuke’s dining-room table, with Sasuke and Karin on one side and the clone on the other. Outside Juugo and Naruto sat cross-legged and unmoving in the garden, deep in meditation. Sasuke gazed over at them. It had been years since he’d seen the two of them do that. Evidently the cats found it entertaining as well, given the way they were circling the pair.

Karin glanced at the clone sitting opposite her with a critical eye, turning back to Sasuke and then having a closer look at the stack of ultrasound photos Sasuke had given her. “So you’re really going to be a father,” she said.

“Yes,” Sasuke confirmed, sipping his tea and sliding the plate of cookies over to the clone. “Are you shocked? Concerned? Troubled?”

“A little _surprised_ , perhaps,” Karin admitted. Sasuke didn’t know why she would be. He’d told them all about it months ago- though, looking back on it now, they’d probably been a little preoccupied back then. “But I’m mostly surprised about _how_ you’re choosing to do it. It seems…slightly dangerous.”

Sasuke shrugged that off. No-one had spent more time thinking about how _dangerous_ it all was than him. “It’s all going okay so far. And we’re almost at the end, so.”

“Hmm, well. The baby certainly seems healthy enough,” Karin commented, glancing at the ultrasound photos spread out on the table. “But you and the clone certainly _don’t_. Your chakra’s all over the place. You know that, right?”

Of course he knew that, but…it’s not like there was anything he could _do_ about it, except just keep holding on until the end. It would be over soon, anyway. “As long as the baby’s okay, it’s fine,” he said. “We’re coping.”

Across from them the clone picked up another cookie. Sugary treats seemed to make her feel better, for a time, so they’d made sure to have plenty of snacks on hand. Anything that was good for the clone was good for the baby, and for Sasuke as well. And at least _he_ didn’t have to eat them.

Karin shook her head and sighed. “I hope Sakura knows what she’s doing. I’ll talk to her about it later. At length.”

 _I’m sure she’ll love that_ , Sasuke thought to himself wryly. Though, on second thought, maybe she _would_ like it. Sakura and Karin had struck up a rather strange friendship these past few years, even writing to each other regularly- mostly about their research, but still.

“Anyway,” Karin went on. “You know you should’ve just taken a sample from Naruto and your female clone and then used a surrogate, right? It would have been _much_ easier, and much safer.”

Sasuke blinked. A surrogate? Using an actual _woman_ to carry their baby, instead of the clone…? “Um,” Sasuke said, caught off guard. The clone herself paused, cookie halfway to her mouth. “That’s…there were reasons why it had to be like this, so…”

“So, you just let Sakura and Naruto talk you into it without really thinking about it, didn’t you?” Karin commented, with a disapproving frown. “Honestly, Sasuke! Just thinking back on the way you used to be, the way you used to _speak_ about these people…and now you have such blind trust in them! I’m not sure if I’m pleased or concerned with how much you’ve changed.”

Sasuke frowned. “Blind trust?” he repeated. “Naruto’s my husband, you know,” he added. Of course he knew how much he’d changed. The fact that he was living in Konoha- _working_ for Konoha, even- still surprised him if he thought about it too much. But it was only possible because he and Naruto had put so much effort into building their lives here. The two of them- they knew Konoha’s dark side better than anyone, and now they were working hard to change things. And Konoha _was_ changing.

“I _am_ happy for you, you know,” Karin said. “Really, I am. You seem- well, you seem _exhausted_ , but…content. Pleased.”

“I am,” Sasuke murmured. He gazed over at Naruto and Juugo, who were both shifting and coming out of their trances. “I guess none of us would have seen any of this coming, ten years ago,” he added. “Especially Mitsuki.”

Karin shrugged, but Sasuke caught the subtle, happy smile before she forced it away. “He’s a handful, but he’s better off with us than anyone else.”

“Team Taka with a baby,” Naruto said, moving over to join them at the table and snatching Sasuke’s tea. “Who would have thought?”

“Not us, that’s for sure,” Karin said to that.

“By the way, where’d the name come from? Those creepy old people that dropped him off with you, did _they_ name him?” Naruto asked.

Karin shook her head. “We made Suigetsu choose a name after a few weeks. You wouldn’t believe the things he was calling the baby before that. _Brat_ almost seems quaint by comparison.”

“I’d believe it,” Sasuke muttered, casting a dark look at Naruto as he drained the last of Sasuke’s tea. “You’d better be planning on getting me more,” he added with a growl.

Naruto grinned and ruffled his hair. “We’ve got a name for _our_ baby, but it’s a surprise!” he said to Karin. “He’s just Shichi-chan at the moment. Soon to be Hachi-chan.”

“Tell her what Kurama thinks of all that,” Sasuke muttered, thinking back to the day when Naruto had shared this particular bit of information with him.

Naruto’s grin deepened. “Oh, well! He thinks we should name the baby _Kyuubi_ , since it’ll be Kyuu-chan when it’s born anyway!”

“You’re kidding,” Karin said to that, exchanging a glance with Sasuke. Thanks to a drunken night many years ago, Karin knew better than anyone just how darkly Sasuke felt about the tailed beast- or his _competition_ for Naruto’s attention, as Sasuke had dubbed him.

Naruto laughed. “He says that _nine_ is the most perfect number in the world. And that of course, the baby wouldn’t even exist if it weren’t for him.”

“One day he’ll stop taking credit for your whole life,” Sasuke said, pushing his empty mug into Naruto’s hands and giving him a significant look.

“So you’re adding more Uzumakis and Uchihas to the world,” Karin mused.

“Yep!” Naruto declared, as he finally stood up and headed for the kitchen to make more tea. “Aren’t you happy, cousin Karin?”

Karin shot a dark look at Naruto’s back. “We’ve talked about this,” she growled.

“Ah, have we, cousin Karin?” Naruto said, returning to the table with Sasuke’s tea and sliding a fresh mug to the clone as well.

Sasuke sighed and snatched the mug, then left the table to join Juugo on the veranda- better to leave the two of them to their bonding. _Uzumakis_ , he thought to himself.

He found Juugo on the veranda with- unsurprisingly- all four of the cats. They all swarmed him whenever he was in town.

“You should give them a heads-up about the baby,” Sasuke suggested, reaching out to scratch Ao’s ears. Sasuke knew that none of the cats would be happy about Hikaru’s arrival.

“They know something is happening,” Juugo murmured. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”

Well, Sasuke _was_ worried about them. But since he was worried about a great deal of things at the moment, adding the cats to the list wasn’t much of a stretch.

“It was wrong of us to keep this from you,” Juugo went on. “And to stay away for so long. It won’t happen again.”

Sasuke frowned. Since that was as close to an apology as he was likely to get from Taka, he should go ahead and accept it. “I get it,” he reluctantly said back. “Just make sure that it _doesn’t_.”

Juugo nodded, and the two of them settled in for some quality time with the cats.

***

Further tests done on Mitsuki only confirmed what Sakura had tentatively suggested: that Mitsuki was a unique, genetically-modified baby. He had the DNA of at least three different donors, one of which must have possessed abilities that made this mixture possible and stable. Orochimaru, they decided, was also one of the donors.

As for _how_ that had happened, well- Yamato felt confident that nothing had gotten past the watch they had on Orochimaru’s base. In any case, he’d been well-behaved and cooperative for the last ten years, content to stay in the house that ANBU had designated for him and work on whatever tasks Konoha and Suna’s research divisions sent him. And as Yamato pointed out, whoever ‘made’ Mitsuki may very well have done it without Orochimaru’s knowledge, and with a sample from before the war.

None of Taka’s members felt that taking Mitsuki to Orochimaru was wise, however- as least for now. So they were heading off again, with an ANBU supervisor, to seek more information about the baby’s origins. Karin was armed with the test results and data that Sakura and Tsunade had passed on, and she’d agreed to send regular reports back to the tower.

They’d been in Konoha for less than two weeks, and now they were leaving. Sasuke wasn’t entirely happy with that. Didn’t they want to stay and see Hikaru when he was born? But having observed the three of them closely, he’d realised that they were all deeply attached to the cheeky, mischievous boy, and were terrified of losing him.

“You could have stayed a little longer,” Sasuke sulked, shooting them all a glare as they stood at Konoha’s main gate in the early morning light.

“Tsunade gave us a lead about an old clan in Water Country,” Karin said with a shrug. “They’ve got some odd abilities. We want to follow it up right away.”

“Say bye, Mitsuki,” Suigetsu instructed, holding the baby out towards Sasuke, his legs dangling down in the air.

“ _Ba_ ,” Mitsuki said, grinning when he caught sight of Sasuke’s hair bundled in a ponytail, and reaching out for it at once.

Sasuke wisely took a step back- he wasn’t letting the kid catch him that way again. “Bye, then,” he muttered, folding his arms across his chest.

“Ah, see what you’ve done?” Naruto said to them, stepping closer to Sasuke. “You’ve pissed him off and now you’re leaving him with me!”

“We’ll come back soon, Sasuke,” Juugo promised. He reached down to pick up Midori, who was twirled around his ankles. “We don’t want to miss meeting your son,” he went on, handing the cat over.

“You could at least _try_ to hide your favouritism,” Sasuke growled at Midori, who was wriggling around in his arms and trying to get back to her beloved Juugo. She’d followed them all the way to the gate from the Uchiha woods.

“See ya, Sasuke!” Suigetsu called out, taking Mitsuki’s hand and waving it back and forth.

“We’ll write with any news,” Karin added, shouldering her backpack and turning towards the gate.

Sasuke watched them all go with a frown. It’s not like he was lonely here in Konoha. He had his friends, his cats, Naruto. He’d have a _baby_ soon as well. What else did he need? Yet seeing Taka leave so soon still stung.

“Let’s go home, Sas,” Naruto murmured, taking his hand.

He nodded, and they set off. And as they walked, he couldn’t help but think back to what Karin had said about the clone. What would it have been like if they’d had a surrogate carrying the baby, instead of Sasuke’s clone? Maybe it _would_ have been safer. And Sasuke wouldn’t have been so tired, and so concerned about regulating his chakra.

But…would he really have given this all up? Being able to _feel_ Hikaru grow and start to move, start to kick? _It wouldn’t have mattered, as long as we ended up with our son in the end, safe and healthy in our arms_ , Sasuke told himself.

“What’s wrong, Sasuke?” Naruto asked, tightening his hold on Sasuke’s hand and gazing over him with such concern in his eyes, such love, that Sasuke felt his dark mood start to lift at once.

“Nothing,” Sasuke replied, shrugging off his concerns. “I’m just impatient and grumpy. Don’t worry about me!”

“Not too much longer to wait. Hachi-chan will be with us before you know it!” Naruto went on.

At that, Sasuke’s dark mood really _did_ lift, and he smiled. There was only five weeks to go now, and the baby was Hachi-chan as of this morning. No, not too long to wait at all.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww poor Sasuke, his family leaving so soon!! It was only a brief appearance for Taka, but I wanted to show some of what they're up to!! I hope y'll liked it <3 <3.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let’s call this chapter, “the calm before the storm”, bwahaha. After this, we’ll have three chapters left and then the epilogue. Onwards we go!!

A week had passed since Taka had left Konoha, and now there was nothing left to distract Sasuke from his ever-increasing sense of heaviness and fatigue. He was just so tired now, all the time. It wasn’t _fair_. All that nausea and exhaustion back in the beginning- hadn’t that been enough suffering?! The middle three months had been quite nice. All those “randy hormones,” as Naruto had put it. Why couldn’t it just be like that until the baby was born?

Instead, Sasuke was feeling everything that the poor clone was feeling. And that meant that his back was aching, his feet were always sore, he was constantly hungry and thirsty, and was barely sleeping longer than two hours at a time. This couldn’t possibly go on for another four weeks, could it? How could they both _survive_?

Naruto was being very sweet and understanding with him- which just made him feel worse, given how much Sasuke was snapping at him these days. Needless to say, his normally short temper had become micro-sized lately. And he just didn’t have the energy to do any housework, so Naruto had been doing twice as much as usual and getting half the gratitude in return.

Sasuke always meant to do something nice for him, to say something nice, but rarely managed it. _I’ll make it up to him after the baby’s born_ , he promised himself. _We’ll eat all **his** favourite things and do everything he wants to do_. Naruto had been cooking all of Sasuke’s favourite meals, and hadn’t once asked if they could go to Ichikaru’s.

 _I’m awful_ , Sasuke told himself, as despite his best intentions his attention turned progressively inward and away from Naruto. The baby was moving around so much, and was so active every day. Sasuke found it fascinating- but it was terrifying, all the same. _Stay safe, Hikaru_ , Sasuke said to his son every night, just praying that everything would be okay in the end.

***

“Sasuke! I’m home!” Naruto called from the front door.

Sasuke jolted, gazing around in confusion. _What…?_ He was in the kitchen, standing in front of the bench preparing dinner. Had he fallen asleep with his eyes open, while he was _standing_? He had a _knife_ in his hand! _No, surely not,_ he told himself. _I just zoned out for a moment, that’s all._

“Sasuke?” Naruto called again, entering the kitchen from the hall. He gazed over at the couch where the clone was curled up under a mountain of blankets, and his face wrinkled in concern. “Everything okay?”

“Hi,” Sasuke said, glancing at him briefly before turning back to the bench. “Yeah, everything’s fine. Dinner will be a little while, so you’ll have to wait.”

“Oh, you’re making dinner?” Naruto asked, moving over to him and sounding surprised.

“Of course I’m making dinner,” Sasuke said with a scowl. “We have to eat, don’t we?” Honestly! What was so surprising about him making dinner?!

“I picked up some bento-boxes on the way home, though,” Naruto went on, placing a bag on the counter. “I figured…well, there won’t be any clean-up, so.”

Sasuke paused, glancing down at the bag, the logo of their neighbourhood bento store emblazoned on the side. _Oh_ , he thought, carefully setting the knife down on the counter. _He brought home dinner_. Somehow he was caught between intense relief that he didn’t have to cook, and intense rage that Naruto didn’t think he was capable of it.

“Uh, but what you’re making looks good too,” Naruto quickly went on, scanning Sasuke’s features anxiously. “We could-”

“No,” Sasuke interrupted, pushing past him and snatching the bag. “We’ll eat these.” He made his way to the table and dumped the bento sets down. There were three, so he set one down for the clone as well. She pushed herself up from the couch and wandered over to the table with a flicker of interest in her eyes. _Poor thing_ , Sasuke thought to himself. She was just so miserable.

“You’re mad,” Naruto cringed, making his way cautiously to join him at the table. He glanced at the clone, probably wondering about her presence; she very rarely came downstairs. Yet he wisely decided not to say anything about it.

Sasuke said nothing to Naruto’s comment. Yes, he was mad, and that was stupid. What was he mad about? Naruto had even gotten his favourite tempura set. He sighed and turned his attention to his dinner. He was starving, as usual; this bento wouldn’t last long at all.

Silence fell as the three of them ate. The clone wolfed down her meal yet had to stop every now and then; she couldn’t even eat properly at the moment. _Naruto damn well better appreciate what we’re doing_ , Sasuke growled to himself. _Look at her, she can’t even sit at the table comfortably, her stomach’s gotten so big._

Naruto sat tense and awkward beside him, casting furtive glances in Sasuke’s direction and gazing over at the clone. He looked so guilty, and even mildly _afraid_ , like Sasuke could explode at any moment. Finally Sasuke couldn’t stand it anymore. He wasn’t _that_ bad, was he?!

“Look, I’m sorry, okay?” Sasuke said with a scowl in between bites. “It’s not like I’m being like this on purpose!”

“Right, I know that,” Naruto said back at once. “And it’s all just temporary, so, it’s fine!”

“Mm,” Sasuke muttered, somewhat annoyed by Naruto’s inadvertent confirmation that Sasuke was being unreasonable. He flashed Naruto a quick glare. At least he could have said something like, _oh no, you’re an angel, the past month has been like a beautiful dream…_

Naruto bit his lip and placed his chopsticks down on the table. He reached into his coat and pulled out a long, thin box and slid it in front of Sasuke. “I got this for you too,” he murmured. “Don’t be mad.”

Sasuke blinked, staring down at the familiar, emerald-green box. _No, he didn’t!_ he thought to himself. It was dark chocolate from the famous chocolatier in the capital. It was the _only_ type of sweet that Sasuke actually liked- _loved_ , in fact. He reached out for the box, eyes wide. It was so expensive and hard to buy!

“Naruto,” he breathed. “How did you get this?!”

“I sent a genin team,” Naruto admitted, his cheeks tinged pink. “A C-rank mission, you know. They had to wait three days before the chef made another batch. Probably an abuse of my power, but…”

“Thank you!!” Sasuke said at once, his tone turning sappy as he untied the ribbons and opened the box. Instantly the scent of deep, bitter chocolate hit him and he felt ten times better about life. “Oh, god, that smells _amazing_!”

“So you’re not mad?” Naruto asked, eyes brightening.

“I’m not mad,” Sasuke replied, pushing away his bento and taking a piece of chocolate from the box.

Naruto grinned. “Oh, good! Finally I did something right!”

“You make it sound like I’m a monster,” Sasuke said, narrowing his eyes.

“But a very cute one- ah! I take it back!” Naruto shrieked as Sasuke threw his chopsticks at him. “Sasuke! Forgive me!”

Sasuke growled under his breath and pulled his precious box of chocolates closer to him. Well, maybe he _would_ forgive Naruto, if he kept him well-supplied with _this_. He bit down on a piece and instantly all his insides melted. Ohh, that was heavenly!

He passed a piece over to the clone. She gazed down at it suspiciously before she ate it- but she didn’t seem to like it all that much. Sasuke was surprised. The clone was him, wasn’t it?! Had pregnancy really changed her taste-buds all that much? It was weird enough that she so enjoyed all the sugary snacks and treats that Sasuke left in her room. Sasuke wondered if he would have spent his days eating cookies, if he’d carried the baby himself.

“Ah, look, she hates it,” Naruto said beside him, looking over at the clone’s disgusted face with amusement. “It’s okay, girl-suke, I don’t really like it either!”

“Did you just call her _girl-suke_?!” Sasuke exclaimed. “Naruto!!”

“Oh, you’d prefer something like…Sasuko? Satsuki? Hmm…Saki?” Naruto suggested with a bright grin. “I could go on, I’ve got heaps of ideas!”

“She doesn’t need a name,” Sasuke grumbled. Thank god Naruto hadn’t insisted on naming her eight months ago. He must have been containing himself.

“I think Saki’s cute, though!” Naruto went on, as Sasuke rolled his eyes and pushed back from the table, moving around to help the clone to her feet. “I’ll bring her some better chocolate tomorrow, okay?”

Sasuke sighed as he guided the clone over to the stairs and back to her room. That man, honestly…! What the clone needed now was a nice relaxing bath, not a silly name. Hmm, he should add some of the oils that Sakura had given him to the water. The clone’s feet and ankles were all swollen and sore.

“Don’t worry,” Sasuke murmured to the clone. “Just a few more weeks of this. We just have to hold on for another few weeks.” They had to let Hachi grow big and strong before they could meet him. With that thought, another wave of anxiety rolled through him. _No, it’ll be fine_ , Sasuke told himself sternly. _Everything will be fine._

***

Sasuke lay warmly snuggled up in the sheets, savouring his fancy capital-chocolatier chocolate while Naruto read a book beside him. He sighed happily, licking the melting chocolate off the tip of his finger and making a contented sound in his throat.

Naruto squeaked and stared over at him, a flush of pink scattered across his cheeks. “Sas…”

“What?” Sasuke asked. Then he gazed down at the box and found he only had one piece of chocolate left. He hadn’t offered Naruto _any_. How inconsiderate of him. “Oh…did you want this?” Sasuke said, holding the box out to him, most reluctantly.

“Ah no, you eat it,” Naruto said with a smile, shaking his head and looking sheepish. “It’s too bitter for me! Though I’m glad that _you_ like it so much, Sas.”

Sasuke quickly popped the last piece into his mouth before Naruto could change his mind. “Mm,” he purred, deeply satisfied. He set the box aside and then shifted closer to Naruto, curling around his side and kissing him.

“Ohh,” Naruto breathed, pulling away for a moment. “Well, it doesn’t taste too bad like _this_ ,” he added, coming back and nipping Sasuke’s bottom lip.

“Good,” Sasuke hummed, slipping his hand up under Naruto’s shirt and tangling their legs closer together.

“I’m glad I got some extra boxes, then,” Naruto continued, nudging Sasuke’s nose with his own and nuzzling his cheeks.

“You _did?_ Where are they?!” Sasuke demanded at once, pulling away from Naruto and sitting up.

Naruto burst out laughing. “ _Hidden_ ,” he said, wrapping his arms around Sasuke’s waist from behind and pulling him back down to the mattress. “They’re for emergencies only!”

“This _is_ an emergency!” Sasuke declared with a growl, wriggling in Naruto’s grasp.

“Oh? Of what kind, exactly?” Naruto asked.

“My husband is withholding chocolate from me!” Sasuke whined. “It’s definitely an emergency!”

“Aw, that sounds bad, Sas! Don’t worry, I’m here for you!” Naruto said, finally succeeding in moulding Sasuke to his side, dropping a wet, sticky kiss to his shoulder. “I’ll distract you from all your problems…”

“You damn well better,” Sasuke said with another growl, but then he just sighed and made himself relax in Naruto’s arms. Well, why not? The night was still young and Sasuke was feeling better than he had all week. Might as well let Naruto _distract_ him for a while. Maybe if Sasuke used some of his special techniques, Naruto would even tell him where the chocolate was. Hmm, yes, that could definitely be done…

***

It was a heavy, heady feeling, and it felt so good. He was drifting aimless but safe through a warm, foggy darkness, away from all the noise, the movement, the pressure. Everything was quiet and peaceful; it was wonderful. He wanted to stay here forever.

“-Sasuke?” came a voice through the fog, breaking into his quiet, warm space. “Sasuke…?”

Sasuke growled to himself, turning his mind away from the intrusion and feeling immensely annoyed. Finally he was _sleeping_ , he was content, he was at peace- who _was_ that, and how _dare_ they come into his space-

“Sasuke…” came the voice again, insistent, booming, loud. Then there was a weight on his skin, a tugging motion bringing him back to consciousness. “I’m really sorry, but…”

He forced his eyes open most reluctantly, groaning when the dull ache in his muscles reasserted itself. He looked up and saw that blonde moron staring down at him, a frustratingly concerned expression on his face.

“Sasuke, are you okay? What’s wrong?”

Sasuke hissed at him under his breath. “Go _away_ ,” he shot, wandering what on _earth_ had possessed that idiot to wake him, how _could_ he?! Didn’t Naruto know how tired he was?

“Let me take you upstairs,” Naruto said- _still_ talking to him, still keeping him awake. “You’ll be more comfortable, I promise! Yuki says she’ll finish your work.”

 _Yuki? Work? What is he talking about…?_ Sasuke glanced around, confused. He was at home, wasn’t he? That was the last thing he remembered, climbing into bed and falling into a blissfully heavy sleep. But…wait, something wasn’t right- was he at _work_?!

He shot up, eyes flying open, his body shrieking at the sudden jolting movement all up and down his spine. “I fell _asleep_?!” he exclaimed; it wasn’t possible! Sasuke Uchiha, falling asleep at his desk? That was beyond mortifying!

Naruto winced, reaching out to rest his hand on Sasuke’s shoulder, gently rubbing his back. “Yuki tried to wake you, but…”

…but. Yes, there was the poor girl, cowering in the corner, glancing at him with a guilty expression on her face. _I wonder what I did to her_ , Sasuke thought to himself. “What…what _time_ is it?”

“A little before lunch-time,” Naruto answered. “You look really tired, Sas. I’ll take you upstairs to the apartment and you can have a rest, okay? Unless you prefer to just go home…?”

“I just need some coffee,” he growled, sitting back in his chair, looking around him. It wasn’t even lunch-time yet and he was already exhausted. “I-”

“Yuki,” Naruto interrupted, turning away from him. “How many cups of coffee has he had already this morning?”

“ _Yuki_ ,” Sasuke hissed, his voice full of warning. She wouldn’t dare…!

“…three,” the girl admitted, stepping further away from her boss’s desk, hiding her face behind her paperwork. And where were his other two assistants?! They must be hiding somewhere.

But now that he thought about it, he did recall being particularly… _sharp_ this morning.

Naruto narrowed his eyes, giving Sasuke his best _now-you-just-listen-to-me_ look. “And you _still_ fell asleep. Sasuke, I insist! Upstairs or home, it’s your choice- but you are _resting_!”

“No,” Sasuke scowled, standing firm. No moronic blonde dead-last was going to tell him what to do, he was his own person and he was much too valuable here at work to just go and _sleep_. “I’m fine-”

“Sasuke,” Naruto interrupted, his voice going low and flat. “I _mean_ it.”

…oh, this man- this _idiot_! This was unacceptable. He was at work, he had things to do…and he was _exhausted_.

“Oh, fine!” he snapped. “I’ll go upstairs- for half an hour, and that’s _it_!”

Naruto relaxed at once. “That’s my kitten! Okay, up we go!” he said, pulling Sasuke to his feet and away from his desk.

“Naruto…!” Sasuke protested, as Naruto half-lifted him towards the door, pulling Sasuke’s arm across his shoulders. “What are you-”

“Yes yes, off we go, thank you Yuki!” Naruto called out behind them as they moved out into the hall- an unusually quiet and uncrowded hall for this time of day, thank goodness for that. Somehow, everyone had conveniently disappeared for the moment.

Sasuke scowled, trying to pull away from his doting husband. “I’m perfectly capable of _walking_ , Naruto-”

“Of course you are, kitten, I just like being near you!” Naruto purred, dropping a quick kiss to his neck, just under his ear. “We’ve both been so busy, you know!”

…that _brat_. He sighed and graciously allowed his blonde moron to “be near him” all the way across the hall and into Naruto’s office, and then up the private stairs into the Hokage’s apartment. Naruto walked them straight to the bedroom and gently lowered him to the bed, tugging the blankets out from under him and then re-arranging them over his chest.

“There we are,” Naruto said, tucking him in tightly, hands lingering by his sides. He smiled down at Sasuke but his eyes were dark and full of worry. “All ready for a nice nap. Is there anything you need?”

“…I’m okay,” Sasuke mumbled, settling back on the pillows. It _did_ feel nice; maybe a nap wasn’t the worst thing in the world. If only Naruto wasn’t looking at him like that- it felt as if Sasuke were looking at a mirror, and all the anxiety that he was trying to push down deep inside of him was suddenly on display in Naruto’s eyes.

“Alright then,” Naruto said, running a hand lightly over the top of Sasuke’s forehead and then moving towards the door.

“Naruto,” Sasuke said, shooting his arm out and grabbing onto the blonde’s wrist. “Stay with me? Just for a bit?” He couldn’t _leave_ , not with all this tension in the air.

Naruto turned around, hesitating. “Oh,” he said, looking surprised at Sasuke’s words. “Are you-”

“Just for a bit,” Sasuke promised.

“Okay,” Naruto agreed. He quickly made a seal and a clone popped into existence and headed out of the room. “There. I’m all yours, Sas!”

Sasuke gazed after the clone, confused. Why would he need to do that? Surely it was no big deal if he just stuck around for a few minutes-

“Yuki pulled me out of a meeting, babe,” Naruto explained. “But now I can stay as long as you like, okay?” he added, settling down on the bed next to his side, curling right up against him, nestling his cheek against Sasuke’s chest.

Shit, he had a meeting. “I’m sorry-”

“Ah, no, it’s fine,” Naruto interrupted, waving Sasuke’s words off. “I’d much rather be here!”

Well, in that case- if he said it was okay, maybe it was okay. Sasuke let his body relax, sinking into the mattress below him. He brought a hand to Naruto’s head, ran his fingers through that messy blonde hair he loved so much. He sighed, feeling the tension in his muscles start to ease.

“Hey, so,” he began, keeping his tone light, and easy. “There’s nothing to worry about, but…do you think it should really be taking this much chakra to keep everything together?”

Naruto shifted and gazed up at him. “It’s taking an awful lot, isn’t it,” he murmured, his face carefully composed into a neutral expression.

“Mm,” Sasuke agreed. “Sometimes it feels like every scrap of my energy is going right into the clone.”

“Right into the clone _and_ the baby,” Naruto pointed out. “You’re supporting two lives here, as well as your own. That’s far from being a simple task.”

“Mm,” Sasuke repeated. “I have to admit…I didn’t think it would be this draining. I thought I would be fine.”

“It’s never been done before,” Naruto said to that. “How were we to know? At least we can say for sure that it takes a very high-level shinobi to do this.”

“You know, I was lying the other week. In the doctor’s office. I think this _is_ the weirdest thing we’ve ever done,” Sasuke mused. What an odd thing for a Shinobi to do; to willingly leave themselves so vulnerable, for so long. And for what? This was certainly unlike any other mission he’d ever done before.

“Well, we’re young. There’s time to top this and do something weirder!” Naruto proclaimed with a low chuckle, nuzzling into his side. He yawned. “You know, I think I might have a nap too…”

“Okay,” Sasuke murmured, settling down lower on the pillows and rearranging the sheets around them both. He considered setting an alarm but decided to just sleep and see when he’d wake up. Yuki and the girls really were very capable, surely they could handle anything that came up.

“Kiss,” Naruto demanded, angling his face upwards and grinning cheekily at him.

“Yes, sir,” Sasuke said, leaning down and giving him a quick peck. And then he sighed and lay back down on the pillows. If only he could just push that bubble of anxiety further away, off into the shadows and out of sight. Instead it had taken up permanent residence in his chest, a heaviness that he couldn’t help but be aware of constantly. There was a tension in the air, a tremor of expectancy, and Sasuke carried it with him even as he fell asleep.

***


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We’ve got Naruto’s POV for this chapter and the next one…I wonder what that means?? Bwahaha *evil grin*. Anyway, enjoy!!

Naruto woke at the same time every morning, and no matter how tired he was he couldn't go back to sleep. He was _awake_ , for better or worse. Sasuke, on the other hand: he was an early riser, yes, but he could spend the whole damn day napping if he wanted to.

So it was Saturday morning, and Sasuke was still asleep. Naruto didn’t expect him to wake for a while; for these past few weeks, Sasuke would have slept all day every day if he’d let himself. He was exhausted, with the strain that the clone was putting on his chakra reserves just burning him out. Naruto wished there was more he could do, but it just made Sasuke even more frustrated and anxious to be fussed over.

That meant everything he did had to be done _subtly_. He’d been doing all their errands and shopping, all the chores, all the cooking, everything he could think of to let Sasuke take it easy, to relax just a little. This morning Naruto had a long to-do list to get through, so he snuck some cup ramen out of his secret hiding-place for his breakfast first and then set to work.

There were several loads of laundry to do- clothes and towels and sheets. Sakura had given them some maternity clothes for the clone, including some dresses- much to Naruto’s delight. Sasuke hadn’t had the energy to protest the dresses and skirts. Naruto grinned to himself as he hung them out on the line to dry.

And they’d gotten a few more presents for the baby the past few weeks as well- mostly clothes. Naruto wondered if people had found out just how woefully unprepared the Hokage and his husband were for their future child. They’d certainly found out that it was a _boy_. Naruto was thrilled with all the tiny outfits they’d received for little Hachi-chan, and even Sasuke had smiled when they’d gotten a set of fuzzy pyjamas with cat paw-prints on them. People knew him so well.

Naruto glanced through their bedroom window as he stood in the courtyard hanging out the laundry. Sasuke still looked fast asleep, curled up on his stomach with a pillow pulled over his face to block out the light. Naruto smiled; his kitten was just too adorable.

Next was the sweeping and mopping, and then the gardening. Naruto spent a whole hour weeding, and then he harvested a few choice vegetables for Sasuke to eat when he woke up. He glanced at the clock when he brought his basket inside to the kitchen. It was almost noon- it would be lunch, then.

There was movement behind him and he spun around. “Sasuke?” he called, but it was just the clone, coming down the hallway and into the kitchen.

…so Sasuke was awake, then? Naruto headed off to their room and was confused to see Sasuke still in bed, stretched out on his stomach this time, sheets thrown off him- it was getting hot as the day went on. But if he was still sleeping, why was the clone awake?

_Strange,_ Naruto thought to himself as he went back to the kitchen. The clone was standing in front of the open refrigerator, staring blankly inside. So she was hungry, huh?

“Um, hang on,” Naruto said, taking some fruit from the counter and setting it on the table. “Here, eat this. And I’ll get you some…juice?” he added, unsure as to what Sasuke had been feeding her lately.

The clone glanced at him very briefly, those dark eyes of hers- Sasuke’s eyes- blank and empty as usual. Naruto shivered. The clone really _was_ just a vessel. He didn’t know how Sasuke did it. Naruto’s clones were always more…well, _lively._ And more _disobedient_ , for all that! But this clone was spectacularly well-behaved.

“Ah, you don’t want fruit?” Naruto asked, when the clone sat down at the table and stared at the apple Naruto had set there. “Well, I was just about to make some lunch so- just hang on, okay?”

An omelette, then, with vegetables and maybe a salad on the side. Yes, healthy, that was good. He set to work, feeling the clone’s eyes watching him as he moved through the kitchen. No wonder Sasuke kept it out of sight. It was quite unnerving.

He sighed as he cracked some eggs into a bowl and whisked them up briskly. He just couldn’t deal with this by himself. Sasuke must be awake by now- he had to be starving! Maybe Naruto should wake him up just for lunch…

“Sasuke?” he called softly as he moved into their room, sitting down on the bed. “I’m making lunch. How does an omelette sound?”

He ran his fingers gently over Sasuke’s face, pushing that dark hair back off his eyes and tucking it behind his ear. Sasuke had dark circles under each eye and he was even paler than usual. _This whole thing’s really taken its toll_ , Naruto thought woefully with a pang of guilt. Sasuke was doing all of this for _them_ , and all because _Naruto_ had decided that it was time.

“You should really eat something,” Naruto went on. “Then you can come right back to bed, I promise!”

He picked up Sasuke’s hand and brought it to his mouth, pressing a light kiss to his wrist. Still nothing. But that _always_ woke him up- he was very sensitive just there.

He frowned. “Sasuke?” he called, getting worried now. He let go of Sasuke’s hand and his arm dropped to the bed heavily. “Sasuke!” he cried. Naruto shook his shoulders, gently at first, but then harder when he got no response. “Sasuke, wake up-”

Then there was a crash from the kitchen and Naruto froze. What was that? _Oh, no_ , he thought. _No, no, the clone! **Hachi!**_

He jumped up from the bed and ran down the hall, and there was the clone on the floor by the table. _Shit!_ he screamed in his head, going into panic mode at once- Sasuke wasn’t just _asleep_ , something was _wrong_ , and now this! He called up a clone of his own and sent it sprinting to Sakura’s house as fast as it could go. And then he scooped the clone up off the floor, relieved that she hadn’t fallen on her stomach as least, and carried her into the bedroom.

“Sasuke, you need to wake up now!” he shrieked, placing the clone on the bed beside him, rushing over and shaking Sasuke’s shoulders again, roughly now, lifting his upper body off the mattress. “Sasuke, please, what’s wrong?!”

But Sasuke’s body just fell heavily back onto the pillows when Naruto let go. _This can’t be happening, it just can’t be!_ He rushed over to the other side of the bed to check the clone, checking for any obvious injuries. She’d fallen on her left side, and already there was a red mark all down her arm than would surely become a bruise.

“You need to wake up too!” he shrieked at the clone, trying to get her to open her eyes. “Please, I can’t do this by myself!”

“Naruto!” came Sakura’s voice as she crashed through the bedroom door. “Oh, what happened?”

“I couldn’t wake him, I just thought he was _asleep_ , and then she fainted- Sakura, _please_ , what’s wrong with them?!”

Sakura rushed to Sasuke’s side, her hands glowing green as she ran them over his prone body. “Unconscious and haemorrhaging chakra. Did something happen this morning, or last night?” she shot at Naruto, reaching over Sasuke to lay a hand on the clone.

“I don’t think so,” Naruto whimpered. “Everything was the same as always!” Even the feel of Sasuke in the back of his mind, it was the same, even if it _had_ been getting weaker as the months had gone by. “Sakura, the baby-”

“The clone’s unconscious as well, but breathing and stable. Sasuke’s sending her far too much chakra. The baby will be fine for now, but this- this isn’t sustainable, we need to get them both to the hospital at once before the stress sends her into labour.”

Naruto paled, backing away from the bed. Hachi, their son, he- “You said- you said he’d be okay if he were born now-”

“The baby isn’t been born today, Naruto, not on my watch! Everything will be fine if you do exactly what I say. Got it?”

He whimpered again. He couldn’t do this without Sasuke. He-

“Naruto! Just listen to my instructions, okay?”

“Yes, Sakura-chan.”

***

Needless to say, Sasuke had _not_ been happy to wake and find himself in the hospital, with the clone in a bed opposite him across the room, and both of them hooked up to dozens of machines.

“What on _earth_ ,” he growled, shooting Naruto and Sakura a deadly glare. “Get these things out of me right now! I’m _fine_!”

Naruto glared right back at him. He wouldn’t be putting up with any of that, not after what he’d just been through! “You’re not going anywhere, and you’re not fine!” he snapped. “Lie back down, would you?! You need to relax!”

“This is ridiculous,” Sasuke muttered under his breath. “I was just _sleeping_ , honestly Naruto, you don’t need to freak out over every little thing-”

“You were _not_ just sleeping!” Naruto cried. “Tell him, Sakura-chan!”

“You were unconscious, Sasuke,” Sakura murmured, her voice placid and calm as she moved through the room. She laid a hand on Sasuke’s forehead. “And you were diverting almost all your chakra to the clone. We can’t have you doing that again, can we? So you’ll be staying right here.”

“I was doing no such thing,” Sasuke growled. “As if I was-”

“You _were_!” Naruto interrupted. “And it was going to send the clone into labour, Sasuke!”

Sasuke shrunk back on his pillows, his dark eyes burning with anger. “It wasn’t,” he said.

“Well, it was,” Sakura said to that, adjusting Sasuke’s pillows, pulling the blanket up around his shoulders. “And you’re running dangerously low on chakra as it is. So we’ll be keeping you both in hospital under constant observation until the baby’s born, okay?”

Sasuke’s eyes opened wide with shock at that. “That’s more than a month away!” he exclaimed. “You can’t be serious-”

“I am,” Sakura said, standing up straight, shooting him a look. “Completely serious, Sasuke. And this isn’t about you, it’s about the baby, so you’ll just have to put up with it. We’re keeping the clone unconscious and on IV fluids to reduce her demand for chakra, but she’s still at risk, do you understand?”

“She could fade away at any time, Sasuke!” Naruto added, scowling over at the bed. “Think about that! And then what would happen to Hachi? He’s not ready yet!”

“That’s not going to happen,” Sasuke argued. “I’m fine, I am _not_ going to stay here-”

“You damn well _will_ stay here, Sasuke!” Naruto snapped, “and don’t you dare say another word about it!” And then he spun around and stormed out of the room, so furious that he could have sent a _rasengan_ straight through the wall at any moment.

***

Naruto just couldn’t believe that Sasuke was being so unreasonable. And he _must_ have been unwell last night- he must have felt _something_ \- and he hadn’t said anything. This couldn’t just happen out of the blue. If Sasuke just told him things- if only he didn’t keep every little thing to himself like he was hoarding secrets- damn him!

Why didn’t Sasuke understand? This wasn’t just about them, and it wasn’t just about Sasuke and his refusal to let anyone take care of him- to let anyone treat him as if he were _weak_. Their baby’s life was at risk here. Their son, their family, their _future_.

_Hachi…_

_He’s just scared_ , said a voice in Naruto’s head. _You know he is, and you know that’s why he’s acting this way. You’re both just scared._

He growled. Even so. You couldn’t just- you couldn’t just pass out, not wake up like that, and pretend that everything was fine. Nothing about this was fine!

And Naruto couldn’t handle this. Just thinking about Sasuke’s pale face, the way he fell limply back onto the pillows when Naruto let go of him…it sent lightning-bolts of the darkest terror right into his heart.

_We really **are** foolish and reckless,_ _just like baa-chan said we were,_ Naruto told himself. To just jump into something like this, something that’s never been done before…

He sighed, and forced himself to stop pacing. He looked over the walls and out at Konoha. His city. Their home. He took a few deep breaths. They weren’t alone, even if it felt like that an awful lot of the time. Even if it had felt like that his entire life.  

***

He made his way back down to Sasuke’s room, still furious, still fuming, but knowing he’d be overwhelmed with guilt if he left Sasuke alone for one second more.

He found Sakura and the obstetrician standing outside the door looking in, with little smiles on their faces.

“What on earth…?” Naruto exclaimed, joining them and staring into the room.

There was Yuzu sitting by Sasuke on the bed, feeling him soup and chatting away happily. Sasuke did _not_ look happy, but he was reluctantly opening his mouth and accepting each spoonful of soup that Yuzu offered him.

“He’d chop the head off any nurse we dared to send in there- you know he would,” Sakura said, grinning at him. “And of course he threw a tantrum at the very suggestion that he eat something.”

“…so you sent in your daughter,” Naruto muttered.

“And she’s doing brilliantly! Sasuke would never do anything to upset her. Look, he’s almost finished the whole bowl _and_ the bread rolls. She’ll move on to the fruit next. That’s my girl!” Sakura added, beaming with pride.

“You’ve trained her well, Haruno-sensei,” the Dr. Sato said.

Naruto narrowed his eyes, gazing into the room again. Yuzu was indeed moving onto the fruit, leaning over Sasuke to stuff a piece of pear into his mouth and giggling at him.

“Sa-su-ke~!” she chanted, picking up some grapes next, “why are the green ones so much nicer? Why don’t you grow grapes in your garden?” she asked, popping one into her own mouth and grinning.

“…we can’t grow grapes in Konoha,” Sasuke muttered, sighing heavily and leaning back down on the pillows. “The climate’s not right.”

“Me and mama bought some more presents for the baby,” Yuzu went on, picking up the bowl of sliced apple and placing it on Sasuke’s chest. “Wanna know what they are? Tough, cause I’m not telling!” she informed him with glee, holding a piece of apple to his mouth.

Sasuke sighed again but accepted the apple, glaring up at the roof.

“…she’s really good,” Naruto observed. “That’s…amazing.” Not even _Naruto_ could manage Sasuke so well when he was like this. He would have to send his son to Yuzu for training when he was old enough.

“We should leave him be for a while,” Sakura said, tugging on his arm and manoeuvring him away from the door. “Yuzu will make sure he sleeps after he’s eaten. He’s exhausted, anyway. But I think he could use some alone time.”

“And the baby?” Naruto asked anxiously, turning to the Dr. Sato.

“Your little Hachi is okay,” she said. “Though he’s rather quiet. Has he been moving less the past few days, do you know?”

Naruto didn’t know, but he suspected that was the case. He could always tell when Sasuke was paying attention to the baby kicking, and he hadn’t been doing that lately. “And the clone?”

“We _are_ worried, Naruto, but we’re doing what we can,” Sakura said, resting a hand on his arm.

***

Naruto sat by Sasuke’s bed, leaning heavily on his arms and gazing up at Sasuke’s pale face. Sasuke had been sleeping now for almost five hours. It was dark outside the windows, and the hospital had grown quiet around them. Naruto wished that Sasuke could have been sleeping peacefully, but he could tell that wasn’t the case. He was breathing hard, almost panting, a fine sheen of sweat covering his face. His forehead was creased, his eyelids flickered; sometimes a low moan passed his lips.

It was hard to just sit here and do nothing. No matter what Sakura-chan and the other doctors said, something was clearly wrong, and there wasn’t anything Naruto could do to help. He took up his washcloth and wiped it over Sasuke’s face again, lingering against his heated cheek.

“Sasuke…” he sighed. This all felt so sudden- even though he knew it wasn’t. Sasuke had been exhausted for weeks, far beyond what he should be experiencing in sensations from the clone.

Sasuke shifted in his sleep, murmured something under his breath; he leaned in closer to the cool wash-cloth, and opened his eyes. “…Naruto…” he breathed, looking up.

“There you are,” Naruto said with a smile. “Have a nice sleep, did you? You should feel better now.”

“I feel _awful_ ,” Sasuke crooked, looking around him. “Pass me some water?”

“Sakura says you’re still sending far too much chakra to the clone,” Naruto explained as he filled a glass with water and held it up for Sasuke to drink. “That can’t be pleasant.”

“Can’t help it,” Sasuke said, his voice low and dark. “I’m not…I’m not doing it on purpose, I can’t even feel it…”

“I know you’re not doing it on purpose,” Naruto agreed, taking the empty glass away and bringing the wash-cloth back to his face. Sasuke always liked to be spoiled with attention like this when he was sick, even though he’d never admit it. “Anyway, you should eat something. Will you do it willingly, or should I call Yuzu back?”

Sasuke wrinkled his nose and Naruto laughed. “That was sneaky,” Sasuke groaned. “Having a little girl do your dirty work for you…”

“It worked,” Naruto said with a shrug, reaching behind the bed and ringing the nurse’s bell. “So you’ll eat something?”

“How’s the baby?” Sasuke asked abruptly, looking over past Naruto to the bed where the clone lay.

“He’s okay,” Naruto said to that. “He’s a bit…still. Not all that energetic.”

“He hasn’t been kicking,” Sasuke murmured with a frown.

“But Sakura says there’s no reason to be too concerned,” Naruto quickly went on. “She’s more worried about the clone. Sasuke…you might not be able to hold it for much longer.”

Sasuke nodded. “I’m sorry, Naruto,” he said quietly. “I really tried, but…”

Naruto put the cloth aside and took Sasuke’s hand instead, rubbing his thumb in circles over his pale wrist. “This was always risky,” he said back. “And I’m sorry that I snapped at you before. I was so worried about you. You were unconscious, I just couldn’t wake you up- and then the clone fainted as well…”

Sasuke winced. “I know. Sakura told me. Well, no-one said this would be easy.”

“Indeed,” Naruto said. He gently shifted Sasuke across the bed and slipped under the sheets beside him. The nurses were taking their time with Sasuke’s dinner. Might as well take advantage of it.

Sasuke sighed and nestled closer to Naruto’s chest. “What on earth were we thinking…”

_Yes,_ Naruto thought. What _had_ they been thinking?! Their poor son, to have such reckless parents. Naruto sighed as well and held Sasuke securely by his side. But what was done was done. They just had to do their best now, and just hope that both Sasuke and Hachi would come through it okay.

***


	16. Chapter 16

It was a rough few days. Sunday went slowly by, with Sasuke sleeping fitfully and doing chakra exercises with Sakura between naps. The obstetrician was in and out of the room all day checking on the baby, and Naruto knew he saw a look of concern on her face each time she left. He tried to ignore it.

In the afternoon he went home to check on the cats and pack some clothes for Sasuke. The doctors had said he’d need to stay in hospital until the baby was born. That should be weeks away- more than a _month_ , in fact. And if that happened- as Naruto desperately hoped that it would- then Naruto would need to pack a lot of things for him.  

_Hachi, just stay where you are for as long as you can, okay?_ Naruto spoke to his son inside his head. _You don’t want to worry your daddies too much, do you?_

He stopped by Sakura’s house on the way back to the hospital and asked Yuzu to feed the cats for the next week or so. She eventually agreed, but only after Naruto offered to pay her. She was much more of a dog person, like her father. These days it seemed like Kakashi’s nin-ken and Sasuke’s cats were in a constant battle for territorial control over the Uchiha woods. The cats definitely had the upper hand at the moment.

Naruto finally arrived back at the hospital, slipping quietly into Sasuke’s room. “I’m back, Sasuke, Sasuko~~” he sang under his breath, placing Sasuke’s bags down on the floor.

Sasuke was fast asleep in his own bed, and across the room the clone was still being kept unconscious by the doctors. They both looked so pale and unwell. But this was the safest place for them to be, so everything was going to be okay, wasn’t it? In any case, Naruto had to stay positive. He may not have a lot of skills or talent, and he may not have been all that much use during this journey, but he could be positive. He could do that.

He spent the next hour quietly unpacking Sasuke’s clothes and tidying the room, and then he settled down and waited for Sasuke to wake up.

***

Naruto knew that things were pretty dire at the moment, and even though they were in the hospital surrounded by doctors, he couldn’t quite relax. But if there was one upside to it all, it was that Sasuke was at least resting properly. And even though he was still exhausted, it seemed to Naruto that he’d stopped fighting and was letting everyone help him now.

Monday came by and Naruto didn’t go to work. He didn’t want to leave Sasuke’s side at all. Yuki and Shikamaru stopped by the hospital and promised they’d keep everything running at the tower for as long as necessary.

“We’re lucky to have them,” Sasuke murmured once they’d left the room, flipping through the pile of notes that Yuki had left him.

Naruto nodded. “Definitely! You don’t have to worry about a thing, Sasuke, they’ll take care of it all!”

Sasuke looked over at him and scoffed. “ _You_ should go back to work eventually, though. You don’t need to stay here the whole time. I mean, if I’m really going to be in here for a _month_ …”

Naruto shifted uncomfortably in his seat at Sasuke’s words. Everyone kept saying _a month, a month,_ yet no-one seemed to believe it. It was too early- Naruto knew that it was, his book kept saying how important the ninth month was for the baby. Yet looking at Sasuke and the clone, Naruto couldn’t imagine how they could last that long. They both seemed to be…fading.

“I don’t mind staying,” Naruto said. And he meant it; let Konoha manage without him- without _them_ \- for a while. This was about their _family_. “I _want_ to stay. I’ll stay home from work tomorrow at least. And then after that- well, we’ll see!”

Sasuke smiled. “Yes, I thought you’d say that about tomorrow. We’ll try and do something special. I don’t know what, thought.”

“Special?” Naruto asked, confused. “Why special?” What was Sasuke talking about?

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “Don’t you know what tomorrow is?”

“Tuesday,” Naruto promptly answered. Of course he knew what day it was, even though it was pretty easy to lose track of time when you were in the hospital.

Sasuke stared over at him in disbelief. “It’s your _birthday_ , moron!” he scorned. “You didn’t honestly forget, did you?!”

Naruto blinked. His birthday?! No, that wasn’t until- oh, wait. October 10th was _tomorrow_?! “Shit!! I _did_ forget!” Naruto exclaimed. “Sasuke! I wouldn’t have remembered at all if you hadn’t brought it up,” he added mournfully. Imagine forgetting his own birthday! Time really had been passing fast lately.

“Well, at least one of us remembered,” Sasuke said with a grin. “Don’t expect too much, though. We can’t even go anywhere.”

“I don’t mind!!” Naruto said, suddenly overcome with excitement. He really _had_ completely forgotten, so it was an unexpected treat. And he was more touched than he could say that Sasuke had remembered. Birthdays had always meant so much more to Naruto than they had to him- but Sasuke tried, harder and harder every year. “As long as we have cake, it’ll be just fine!”

***

Naruto _did_ get his cake, in the end. He and Sasuke celebrated his birthday quietly. They slept in and then had a birthday picnic on Sasuke’s bed. Somehow they’d managed to convince Sakura to let them order in some Ichikaru ramen, and she’d arranged a cake as well. Naruto was overjoyed, slurping down his noodles happily. They were _delicious._

“It’s been so long!” he exclaimed. “Ah, aren’t you going to finish that, Sas?” he asked, staring at Sasuke’s still half-full bowl, sure that his desire was showing clear on his face.

“Here, you have it,” Sasuke said to that, handing it over with a judgemental shake of his head. “Consider it a birthday present.”

“Thanks!!” Naruto said, ignoring the judgement in favour of pure joy at the prospect of more ramen.

 “We’ll celebrate properly once this is all over,” Sasuke promised, reaching out and picking at the candied flowers from the top of the cake. “And I _do_ have a present for you at home, too.”

“When this is all over we’ll have a son,” Naruto said with a grin, wolfing down the last of the noodles and eyeing the delicious-looking cake; did he still have room for that now? “We can celebrate as a family! I hope Hachi likes ramen…” _And that his papa **lets** him eat ramen_ , he added to himself.

“…oh,” Sasuke said to that, his eyes going wide. “This is your last birthday as a carefree man…”

“Heh, I guess so!” Naruto said, laughing. And he couldn’t have been happier about it! “So what you’re saying is, I should lock the door and we should take advantage of it?”

“Try anything and I’ll smack you,” Sasuke growled, throwing him a look.

“Aww, denying me on my birthday! So cold, Sas,” Naruto said, leaning over and kissing the tip of his nose.

“Don’t push it,” Sasuke warned, his tone strict; but he reciprocated with a kiss to Naruto’s forehead.

Naruto giggled and scraped a bit of chocolate icing from the top of the cake. In the scheme of things, it hadn’t been the _worst_ birthday. At least he was spending the whole day with his most favourite person, and Sasuke was more cheerful today than the past few days- in his own, special, Sasuke-way, of course!

***

“All I’ve been doing lately is eating and sleeping,” Sasuke complained later that day, pushing away his dinner and leaning back heavily on his pillows.

“You almost ate all of it this time!” Naruto praised. He took Sasuke’s plate away and then came back to fluff his pillows and help him settle back into bed. His hands lingered on Sasuke’s forehead, brushing his hair back off his face.

Sasuke breathed out wearily. He turned his head and gazed over at the clone, a flash of guilt crossing his face.

“Do you think they’ll wake her up any time soon?” Naruto asked, following his gaze. She’d been kept unconscious since they’d brought her into the hospital. It had made a big difference- Sasuke had found it so much easier to manage his chakra, to keep it steady. Naruto had wanted the doctors to give him a chakra transfusion, but no-one had wanted to risk disrupting the link between Sasuke and the clone.

Sasuke’s guilty expression intensified. “…I don’t think she’ll be waking up,” he murmured. “Maybe not ever.”

Naruto felt just as guilty as Sasuke looked. There had to be more that he could have done to help out. Been more useful. Been more prepared. And yet…this had never been done. They’d had very little idea of what to expect.

“Sorry, Naruto,” Sasuke went on, sitting up in his bed and reaching out to take Naruto’s hand. “Hachi-chan might not make it to becoming Kyuu-chan. He might be stuck as Hachi forever.”

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry for,” Naruto said at once. “And Hachi’s a cute name, anyway! Our little bumble-bee.”*

Sasuke shot him an exasperated look and fell back on his pillows, still holding onto Naruto’s hand. “So you’re making nicknames based on nicknames now?”

Naruto grinned. “Oh, just you wait, Sas! I’ll have a _dozen_ nicknames for him. Hundreds!”

“I don’t doubt it,” Sasuke said with a sigh, his eyes falling closed. “What time is it? I’m so tired all of a sudden…”

“Just after seven,” Naruto said, gazing at the clock. “Are you okay? You just got- white. Whiter than normal, I mean.” He narrowed his eyes. He should call Sakura- she hadn’t been in for a while. Maybe forcing Sasuke to eat all that food hadn’t been a good idea- he should have just had a nap instead.

Sasuke trembled slightly and his grasp on Naruto’s hand became weaker. “ _Naruto_ ,” he groaned, hands balled up into fists. “Something’s wrong-”

_Shit!!_ Naruto instantly stood and pressed the alarm button two dozen times, trying to stay calm and failing completely. “What’s wrong? What is it?!” he demanded. What _now?!_

“I just- I feel- _dizzy_ ,” Sasuke managed to say, opening his eyes and trying to push himself up off his pillows.

“Lie back down!” Naruto ordered at once, moving forward to make his shoulders. And all of a sudden Sasuke froze, and then fell into a dead faint onto his pillows. “ _Sasuke_!” Naruto shrieked. No, no, not again! He turned and ran for the door.

The door slammed open before he could get there. Sakura took one look at Sasuke’s prone body on the bed and ran straight for the clone, with Dr. Sato right behind her.

“Sakura! It’s happening again!” Naruto called out. “What’s wrong with them?!”

Sakura ran her hands down the clone’s body, her expression grim and stern. “She’s gone,” Sakura said to the doctor. “It’s time.”

“ _What_?!” Naruto shrieked, jumping up from the bed and racing across the room. “Sakura, what do you mean-”

“Naruto, listen to me,” Sakura said, placing her hands on his shoulders and manoeuvring him out of the way, back across the room. “The clone’s not breathing, so the baby’s not getting any oxygen. We’re taking him out now before she fades away. Everything will be fine.”

Naruto trembled. “But Hachi-”

“We’re going to take care of him. I know it’s frightening, but we’re all here, okay?” Sakura said, keeping a tight grip on his shoulders.

Behind her a team of nurses kicked into gear, transferring the clone to a stretcher and wheeling it towards the door. Naruto watched their progress, frozen in place by the feeling of panic overwhelming him.

“But Sakura, everything was just _fine_ , and then- is Hachi okay?!”

“Hachi will be alright,” Sakura soothed. The nurses wheeled the clone through the door and out of Naruto’s sight. “Do you want to stay with Sasuke, or come into the operating room with me? This is happening _now_ , Naruto. Hachi’s being born today.”

Her words struck him right to the core. Today. Hachi was going to be born _today_ \- right now, because the clone wasn’t breathing, and-

“What about Sasuke? Is Sasuke okay?” Naruto gasped out, looking over at the bed. A pair of nurses were with him, and they didn’t seemed panicked- but then, medic-nin rarely did, so-

“He’s unconscious. His body’s had a shock, but he’ll be fine. What do you want to do, Naruto?”

What was he going to do? What would Sasuke _want_ him to do? All his instincts were pulling him back to the bed, he just wanted to wrap his arms around Sasuke’s shoulders and hold him close, but…

“I’ll come with you,” he said grimly, and Sakura nodded.

“Okay,” she said, “let’s get going.”

It was too early, it was too soon- Hachi wasn’t ready! But the clone was gone- that’s what Sakura had said, and now everything was happening so fast. He just had to trust that Sasuke would be okay; for now, he had to follow Sakura and make sure their son was safe. He trembled with anxiety and squeezed Sakura’s hand tightly.

***

In the two minutes that he and Sakura had stood in Sasuke’s hospital room, the clone had already been moved to an operating room and Dr. Sato had everything in full swing. The room was full of equipment and people, all centred around the clone on the operating table.

Naruto stared through the glass wall anxiously as Sakura helped him wash his hands and dressed him in scrubs. She had to do everything- his hands were shaking too badly to help out. “What’s she doing, Sakura-chan? Explain it all to me, _please_?”

“She’ll be getting the baby out as fast as possible,” Sakura said. “We’ve had this room set up for a while, in case this happened.”

“And the baby?” Naruto anxiously asked.

“See that equipment over there?” Sakura said, pointing to the side of the room. “It’s everything Hachi will need once he’s out. The paediatrician is on her way as well.”

_They had this all ready,_ Naruto thought to himself. _They had this all prepared. They **knew**._

“And the clone will be gone soon,” Naruto murmured, his mind going numb as Sakura pulled him through the door and into the room. He could already see her fading. This type of clone didn’t “pop” away like a normal one did; they were too substantial, too physical for that. But she was already on her way- there was no bringing her back now.

Sakura manoeuvred him into the room, staying by his side and speaking to him quietly and calmly. “Any minute now, Naruto,” she said, pointing to the operating table. “There’s no need for the obstetrician to be careful with the clone’s body, but she needs to put as little stress on Hachi as possible, see?”

Naruto nodded. “But how do you know that he’d okay? The doctor’s cutting the clone, what if she cuts Hachi?!”

“She’s done this many times before,” Sakura soothed. “See, the cutting part is all done! It’s almost over.”

Naruto’s eyes were glued now to the doctor’s hands; they were inside the clone’s stomach, with deep red blood covering her gloves. Naruto shuddered violently. It was just a clone, but she was the clone that had lived with them for all these months. They _knew_ her. That was her blood on the doctor’s hand.

He blinked and all of a sudden it wasn’t a clone on the table in front of him, it was Sasuke. _Sasuke_ lying still and unmoving, his pale skin sallow and blue, his stomach cut open and his blood pouring everywhere. It was Sasuke, and the doctor’s hands were inside of him.

“Sakura, I can’t do this,” Naruto whimpered, feeling an intense desire to run or scream or hide. This couldn’t be happening- just ten minutes ago he and Sasuke had been eating dinner, smiling together, and now-

“Almost done. Everything’s going according to plan,” Sakura said to him, her voice low and calming. “You’re doing well, Naruto, just hang in there a little while longer, okay?”

He was doing well, she said. But he wasn’t doing _anything_. He was just standing here and freaking out. “But Sakura-”

“Oh, Naruto, look!” Sakura interrupted. “There he is!”

And there in front of them, the doctor pulled her hands up out of the clone, and there he was. Everything in Naruto’s mind went white at once. There was his _son_ , and-

“He’s not moving,” Naruto whispered, frozen in place, his eyes glued to the impossibly tiny body in the doctor’s hands. He wasn’t moving, he wasn’t making any sound _. He’d dead, it was too late,_ Naruto screamed to himself. His son was blue, limp, and wet, and covered in blood-

“Over here!” Sakura called, stepping away from Naruto’s side, meeting the obstetrician on the other side of the room. In the next moment their bodies had blocked his son from view, and he couldn’t see what they were doing. Naruto was frozen, he couldn’t _breathe_ -

-oh, but then, but _then_ \- there was a sudden squeal and he was crying, his baby was _crying_ , he was _alive_ -

“Naruto, come here,” Sakura called, reaching out and tugging him across the room when he didn’t move at once. “Look, here he is, he’ll be okay, Naruto!”

There he was, still covered in gunk and blood, so _tiny_ but so loud, squealing in outrage. His little eyes were squeezed tightly shut and his body was curled in on itself. He was _here_. His son. Their baby.

“Hikaru,” Naruto whimpered, as the doctor wrapped him in a blanket and handed him over. Sakura held his arms in place, wrapping herself around them both to keep them still and secure. “Sakura, he’s here!”

“He’s beautiful,” Sakura breathed, as the baby continued to cry. So tiny in Naruto’s hands, so _weightless_. “Oh, Naruto, look at him…”

“I’m a dad,” Naruto said, stunned and overwhelmed. He was holding his son. Little Hachi was here; he was _real_.

“Just for a moment, and then we need him back,” the doctor warned, but Naruto barely heard her. His eyes were glued to his son, to his pale face and his tiny, delicate features, and his little head already covered in a swath of dark, jet-black hair. Their baby.

“He’s so much like Sasuke,” Sakura cooed. “Hi there, little one! Happy Birthday!”

_Happy Birthday_. It was Hachi’s birthday, and it was _his_ birthday, too. Oh, there was no greater gift in the _world_.

Naruto held him closer to his chest, reaching a finger out to gently rest on his cheek. The baby stopped crying and turned his little face in towards Naruto’s body. Naruto felt his heart swelling, about to burst, overwhelmed with too much worry, too much shock, too much happiness. “Hachi…my boy…”

***

*Hachi can mean _eight_ or _bumble-bee_ ^_^. (Also _bowl_ or _flower-pot_ , but I’m not sure that’ll work as a nickname, lol.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHH HE’S FINALLY HERE!! I finally get to introduce you all to little Hachi!!! Yayyyy I’m so happy~~! Apologies to the (surprisingly large number of) people who were looking forward to seeing Sasuke “in labour” *cough*sadists*cough*; it had to be a C-section, I’m afraid. These clones are pretty sturdy, but probably not sturdy enough to survive childbirth.
> 
> …but in any case, he’s HERE! A month early, of course, and poor Sasuke missed the whole thing, but…HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HACHI!!


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WAHHHH here we are!! It's the very last chapter!! (ah, don't panic, we've got the epilogue and a special bonus coming too!) It's been an awesome ride, and I've loved every second of it! And I've especially loved chatting with you all and seeing all your amazing comments <3 <3\. 
> 
> In this chapter, Sasuke finally gets to meet his son and our new family is together for the first time!! I hope everyone likes it~. ^_^

Sasuke woke, confused to find himself not at home but in the hospital. But when he remembered what had happened, he turned his head to the left at once- and found the clone gone from her bed. He pushed himself up and then swayed, feeling overwhelmingly dizzy.

“Watch it, Sasuke, you’ve been through the ringer tonight,” murmured a voice, and when Sasuke opened his eyes- when had he closed them?- he found Kakashi hovering over him and lowering him back to the pillows.

“What happened?” Sasuke demanded at once. “The baby-”

“-is fine,” Kakashi soothed, sitting back in his chair and looking perfectly relaxed. “He’s here, by the way. Little Hikaru. Nice name.”

“He’s _here_?” Sasuke exclaimed, feeling his panicky state heightening even further. “But it’s too early!”

“Maybe it was, but it happened anyway,” Kakashi said with a shrug, as if there was nothing to worry about at all. “He’s okay. A little small. Naruto’s with him now.”

“He’s okay?” Sasuke repeated. That wasn’t possible “But-”

“Ah, Sasuke!” came Naruto’s voice, as the door opened and the blonde came barging in. “You’re awake, finally! Come on, come on, you have to see him, get out of bed!” And Naruto came over to him and pulled back the sheets, tugging on Sasuke’s arms until he’d been manoeuvred out of bed.

“Naruto,” Sasuke gasped, breathless at the sudden movement, “just hang on, I-”

“Take it easy, Naruto,” Kakashi cautioned. “Slowly now.”

“Yes fine, slowly, but let’s go, you have to see him!” Naruto went on, pulling Sasuke towards the door at the exact same speed as before. “He’s the most beautiful baby in the _world_!”

“You’re a bit biased,” Kakashi pointed out, watching them carefully as they left the room.

“Oh but he _is_ , you’ll see Sasuke, he’s perfect! Our tiny Hachi!”

“Naruto, slow down,” Sasuke growled, leaning heavily on Naruto’s arm as he was propelled down the hallway through the darkened hospital.

“I can’t,” Naruto said back. “I’ve already been away from him for- five minutes! I know you’re tired, you can sit down when we get there, okay? Sakura had a room make up for us. All three of us. _Three_ , Sasuke!”

The world swam before Sasuke’s eyes, and he didn’t know if it was his tiredness or Naruto’s words that had done it. _All three of them._ Something inside him snapped; everything had changed in an instant, and suddenly nothing would ever be the same again.

“Naruto,” he whimpered; this was too fast, everything was going too fast! Hachi wasn’t meant to be here yet, they were meant to still have _weeks_ to prepare, they-

“Here we are,” Naruto announced, and only then did he slow down and relax slightly, as he pushed open the door and took Sasuke’s hand properly. “Look, Sasuke. It’s him. Hikaru!”

Naruto pulled him across the room to a small crib in the corner- no, it wasn’t a crib, it was more like a glass box. It was surrounded by machines and wires, by things beeping and humming. And there inside the box- completely encased, completely shut off- was a tiny, tiny baby.

“I’m back, Hachi,” Naruto cooed, hands on the side of the crib, leaning right down over it. “Did you miss me? I missed _you_!”

…Sasuke was shocked. This was their _son_? He was- but what were all those wires, why was he in there?! “Naruto, what- what’s _wrong_ with him?”

“Hmm? Oh, he’s okay, Sas! Don’t worry about this thing, it’s just stopping him from getting cold. His body’s no good at staying warm yet. The doctor- there’s a new one- she says he’ll probably only be in here for a few days. He’s so strong, even though he was early! That’s our boy…”

Sasuke winced. He couldn’t even keep warm on his own?! “There are tubes in his nose,” he exclaimed, appalled. “What on earth…?”

“Ah, that’s feeding him. He doesn’t have the strength for a bottle yet. But in a few days we can feed him ourselves. Every two hours, because his tummy’s really small and he won’t be able to have much at a time, and then-”

“Naruto,” Sasuke interrupted. “What _happened_? It was too early!”

Naruto blinked, turning away from the crib. “Right, but, the clone stopped breathing so…anyway, he has to stay in there, but we can touch him through these little windows, see?” Naruto said, and then he bounced off to the side of the room to a sink, washing his hands thoroughly. “But we have to be really clean first!”

No. No, it was too early. This shouldn’t be happening-

“Go and wash your hands, Sas, then you can touch him! He’s so soft, softer than a feather- and his _hair_!” Naruto gushed, opening the little window in the side of the crib and slipping his hand inside. “Hi there, baby boy, daddy’s here,” he said to the baby, laying a finger just gently on the tiny creature’s cheek.

He was too small. He was _far_ too small. “Naruto…”

“He’s been sleeping this whole time, you know,” Naruto said, not looking at him, keeping his eyes glued to his son. His _son_. “Just like you. He hasn’t even opened his eyes yet! But that’s okay, he’s probably just waiting for his papa.”

…papa.

Well, that was it; he was out of here. He’d turned and opened the door before Naruto could even react, and then he was rushing down the hallway. He couldn’t deal with this. Hachi was too small, it was too early, they weren’t ready! He wasn’t ready for _any_ of this!

***

It had taken a long time for Naruto to calm him down, to sooth his frayed nerves and convince him to come back to the room. _You don’t have to touch him, or even look at him_ , Naruto had promised. _There’s a bed in there, did you see? You can just go to sleep, I know you’re tired._

And true to his word Naruto hadn’t pushed him anymore. He’d just led Sasuke to the double bed at the side of the room and tucked him up in the sheets, kissing his cheek. _I’m sorry, I should have warned you,_ he’d said; _I was just so excited._

Naruto was _beyond_ excited. It was the middle of the night, and while the rest of the world was fast asleep, _he_ was jumping out of his skin. Sasuke huddled in the sheets and Naruto went straight back to the crib, his blue eyes burning with intensity, with _need_. Sasuke shivered and turned away.

***

At some time in the early hours of the morning Sasuke woke, and realised that Naruto was in bed beside him. He wasn’t asleep, he was just holding Sasuke to his side, stroking his back gently. Sasuke sighed and leaned into his touch, shifting closer across the sheets.

“…hi,” he murmured, looking up. “What time is it? Is everything- everything’s still okay, isn’t it?”

“Hi,” Naruto said back, leaning down and nipping his nose. “It’s just after three. Yes, everything’s fine. The paediatrician just stopped by, and she said he’s doing fine.”

Sasuke breathed a huge sigh of relief, and felt some of his tension drift away- just some of it, just a little. He wrapped his arms around Naruto’s waist, snuggling against his side. “I’m sorry, Naruto, I was just- I’m just _tired_ , and, well…”

“You’re adjusting to the clone not being around anymore, Sakura says, and your body’s had a big shock,” Naruto spoke softly, holding him close, his breath tickling the back of Sasuke’s neck.

He shivered. “What happened to the clone, Naruto? It just feels so… _wrong_ , like there’s a part of me _missing_.” And it was very disorientating. Sasuke was truly disturbed- yes, he’d been maintaining the clone for months now, but things were back to normal so…shouldn’t he _feel_ normal?

“She stopped breathing,” Naruto said, his voice carefully calm and even. “And they took her off to the operating room right away. I think they were expecting it, because everything was ready and no-one seemed surprised. And then she was fading- you know, like how their skin starts to look…thin, and transparent?”

Sasuke nodded. These clones didn’t just pop away. It was very strange to watch them disappear the first few times. It took so long; much longer than you’d expect.

“I’m not sure if that was already happening, or if it happened once they cut into her. Everything happened so fast. And then I was holding Hachi- Hikaru, I mean- and when I looked back, she was- gone. There was so much blood…”

Sasuke trembled. It was all his fault- he couldn’t regulate his chakra, he wasn’t doing it the right way. And so they’d had to prepare; they’d been _ready_ for when things would go wrong. They weren’t surprised that Sasuke had lost control.

“I didn’t get to say goodbye,” he murmured, and then he blushed, looking up at Naruto in mortification. “Ah, I mean- I know that sounds strange, I just…you know.”

Naruto was silent for a moment, gazing down, running his hand through Sasuke’s hair. “I felt the same way,” he admitted, after a while. “But I was too embarrassed to say anything. She wasn’t even a real person, she was just- but you know, it’s been almost nine months, and…”

“…yeah,” Sasuke said. “I get it.” He was relieved; it wasn’t just him feeling sentimental about the clone’s demise, about her sudden disappearance.

“I kind-of thought in the back of my head that we’d _know_ before she faded, and that I’d have a chance to say…thank you, or something. Ah, that’s so silly. She never even spoke to me, you know. Not one word.”

No, of course she hadn’t; Sasuke had done that deliberately. He’d worked so hard to keep a wall between them and her. She was gone now, anyway, and in her place…their son.

He sighed. “I’m so tired,” he said with a soft groan. “I feel like I could sleep for days.”

“You can if you like,” Naruto said to that. “We’re not going anywhere, obviously. As long as Hachi needs to stay in the hospital, we’ll stay here too.”

Sasuke glanced up at him, and Naruto blushed.

“Ah, Hikaru, I mean. Ugh, I can’t stop doing that! It’s Hikaru now.”

Sasuke shrugged. “You can call him whatever you want,” he said. “Call him Hachi, if you like. It suits him just fine.”

***

The next time Sasuke woke, Naruto was properly asleep- completely passed out next to him. It was after sunrise, and there was a small amount of soft, pink light coming in through the windows. Sasuke pushed himself out of bed and made his way to the bathroom.

On his way back he paused in front of the crib. The machines had been beeping quietly this whole time, a rhythmic, predictable sound in the background. Why did he even need all these things, if he was fine? Obviously, he _wasn’t_ fine. How could he be?

Sasuke took a hesitant step forward, and then another, until he could see the inside of the crib. There he was, his son- their child. Their Hikaru. He looked so tiny, so delicate, as if he would break the moment anyone touched him.

He stepped closer. It must be warm inside the box because the baby was just wearing a diaper and nothing else. His head was bare too, showing off a mass of dark hair. _So he’s got my hair, and my colouring, it would seem_ , Sasuke thought to himself. Hikaru was very pale. Sasuke wasn’t sure about the rest- whose nose that was, whose mouth. His features were just too small to tell.

At least he didn’t _seem_ unwell. His arms were flung back behind his head, his legs resting gently by his side, his face unworn and easy as he slept. But Sasuke was still disturbed by all the wires and tubes coming out of him- they could only mean that this was still a perilous situation. It was still risky; things could still go wrong.

He sighed. So what else was new? It seemed his whole life had been like that, one way or another. _Welcome to the club, kid_ , Sasuke thought, his hands resting on top of the crib.

And Hikaru shifted, moved just slightly inside the crib. His legs twitched and the rhythm of his breathing changed. Sasuke froze, his eyes glued to the baby’s tiny features as he stretched his little limbs out on top of his pale pink sheet, opening and closing his little hands.

 _Oh_ , Sasuke thought to himself, breathless and mesmerised. _Is he…waking up?_

Hikaru’s little eyelids fluttered slowly, and then his whole face scrunched up. Sasuke jumped back from the crib and raced over to the bed, shaking Naruto’s shoulders roughly.

“Naruto, wake up!” he called. “Wake up, wake up! He’s opening his eyes!”

Naruto shifted and groaned, glancing up at Sasuke and looking confused. “Sas…?”

“He’s opening his eyes!” Sasuke screeched, tugging Naruto’s arm, trying to pulling him out of the bed. “Naruto, get up, _now_!”

“What- what’s wrong, Sasuke, is-”

“He’s _opening his eyes_!” Sasuke repeated- how many times did he have to say it?! To hell with him, then! Sasuke left the bed and flew back to the crib, leaning right down to see Hachi’s little face. “Naruto, you have to come see!”

Naruto stumbled out of bed and across the room. “I’m coming, Sas, but what’s _wrong_ , you’re scaring me-”

“Look!” Sasuke cried the instant Naruto reached the crib. “He’s waking up!”

And then they both stood there, deadly silent, as their son moved around and then gradually, slowly, opened his eyes for the first time.

…and they were blue. Perfectly, dazzlingly, _brilliantly_ blue.

“Ohh,” they both breathed, drawing closer to each other, completely lost in the moment.

“Naruto, they’re blue,” Sasuke gasped, overwhelmed with happiness, with _relief_ , to see Naruto’s eyes looking out of their son’s face. It was perfect, it was _right_. “He’s beautiful…”

“He is,” Naruto agreed at once. “Oh, Sasuke, I’m so happy- he looked just like you, like your _twin_ , I thought- he’s gorgeous, but…he’s got my eyes!”

“I want to touch him,” Sasuke said, standing up straight and heading for the sink. “What do I do? Naruto, tell me what to do-”

“Ah, okay, you just need to wash your hands really carefully, there’s a nail brush there too, see? Dry them with the paper towelling, yes, like that,” Naruto instructed.

Sasuke did as he was ordered as fast as possible, and once his hands were dry he came back to the crib at once, and Naruto opened the little window and guided his hand inside.

“Gently, now,” Naruto said, his own hand still on Sasuke’s wrist. “Gently, Sas…”

“Of course I’ll be gentle,” Sasuke snapped, and then his hand stilled, frozen- Hachi was looking at them. Right at them, his blue eyes blinking, gazing at them both. “…he’s _looking_ at us, Naruto, what do we do?!”

“He can see us,” Naruto breathed. “He- can he hear us? Oh god, Sasuke, he’s our _son_ -”

“Of course he’s our son,” Sasuke snapped again, moving his hand to carefully laying a finger on Hachi’s palm. And then that tiny hand closed around his finger, such a small hand, but it held onto him so tight. Hachi was _holding_ him- “I can’t breathe,” Sasuke gasped, trembling.

“Sasuke, he’s holding your hand,” Naruto exclaimed. “He’s _holding your hand_!”

Sasuke turned and gazed up at Naruto, marvelling at the pride and happiness burning in his eyes. Then Naruto looked back at him, his skin flushed pink with excitement. “Our son, Naruto,” Sasuke breathed.

“Mm,” Naruto said back, shifting closer. “Our boy. And he’s _perfect_.”

***

Several days later, Sasuke lay propped up on the pillows in bed with Hachi nestled in his arms. Hachi still had to spend most of his time in his crib, but the doctors had been letting his dads hold him for a few hours each day.

“You are one lucky kid,” Sasuke murmured to his son, as he watched Naruto pour the contents of several bags onto the end of the bed. Shirts, pants, onesies, blankets, towels, diapers- everything their baby might need.

“I can’t believe this!” Naruto exclaimed. “They thought of _everything_! Look, there’s even little mittens and socks in here- ohh, look at these ones!” Naruto said, holding up a tiny pair of green socks with little tomatoes on them.

“I should have known they’d do this,” Sasuke muttered. “Don’t worry Hachi, even if your dads are incompetent, you’ve got a whole tower taking care of you.”

Naruto had been so upset when he’d realised that Hachi’s fuzzy fox outfit would be too big for him- but gifts had been pouring in for days, and now they had all this as well. Hachi was all set.

“Everything’s been washed and dried too, Sakura said, so we can use it right away. Amazing!” Naruto exclaimed. “All for a premature baby, too. I don’t know how they even _found_ clothes this small!”

And in an envelope was an itemized list of everything in the bags, plus a note on where to find the cheapest diapers in Konoha, all in Yuki’s tidy handwriting. Of course. Sasuke hadn’t been at all surprised that the “prepare for baby Hachi” campaign had been spearheaded by Yuki, Hana, and Mao- with help from Ino.

“What should we dress him in first?” Sasuke asked, running his eyes over their treasure. “I don’t even know where to start…”

“Hmm…this one!” Naruto declared, holding up a soft, burnt-orange onesie with long sleeves and legs. “It’s the closest to the fox outfit…oh! And this beanie!” he added, finding one with cat-ears on it.

“He’ll look like Ginger,” Sasuke breathed, trembling with excitement.

Naruto wrinkled his nose. “…oh,” he said. “Wow, they must have done that on purpose! Here, hand him over…”

Of course it took them at least ten minutes to get Hachi into the little outfit. They’d both handled newborns before, but Hachi was something else. He was so much smaller than Yuzu had been, and half the size that hefty Sakumo was when he was born. They were both anxious and uneasy handling his tiny limbs.

And in the meantime, Naruto went on and on about what he’d found at their house when he’d raced back there to pack them some clothes. What had been an empty room was now a fully-furnished and equipped nursery, all ready to go, all ready for Hachi. They’d even painted it!

“You really are a lucky kid,” Sasuke said again to little Hachi, now fast asleep and lying on Naruto’s chest.

“I’m so tired,” Naruto whined, “but I just don’t want to stop looking at him. He’s so _beautiful_ , Sasuke!”

 _He’s the most beautiful creature in the world,_ Sasuke thought of his adorable son. _Just like his daddy._ Then he flushed red, embarrassed by his sudden burst of sentimentality. Post-birth hormones, maybe? Well, maybe not.

 _I must be **really** tired_ , Sasuke thought to himself. He sighed and laid down next to Naruto’s side, resting his hand gently on Hachi’s back, revelling in the feel of his son’s rhythmic breathing and the little sounds he made in his sleep.

“I feel like my heart’s going to burst out of my chest,” he murmured, not caring how stupid that sounded. He knew that Naruto would understand how he felt.

“Mm,” Naruto agreed at once. “I love him so much, Sas. I didn’t even know I could feel this way!”

Hachi had been with them for less than a week, yet Sasuke felt that all his insides were changing, and before long he would be altered completely and irrevocably. Even now every part of him was burning with devotion for this tiny little being.

He took a deep, calming breath and let his eyes fall back on his son’s perfect, tiny face. Hachi was the most beautiful, most amazing creature that Sasuke had ever seen- and he was theirs. He really was a light in the darkness. _Don’t worry, Hachi,_ Sasuke spoke to his son in his mind. _I know it’s been a bumpy ride, and life might be a little rough sometimes. But I promise you, we’re going to be just fine._

***


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all my beautiful readers and commenters!! I was so happy to read everyone's comments on the last chapter <3 <3\. I've just loved writing this fic and spending so much time on Naruto and Sasuke being all domestic and sugary (for the most part), and I've especially loved writing about little Hachi and the start of their life as a family~~. I'm really touched that so many of you have enjoyed this fic. Thank you all!!!
> 
> This epilogue turned out almost as long as a normal chapter, ha. Oh well! Onwards we go!! (Aww, I feel so sad that this fic is coming to an end @_@)

****Naruto and Sasuke spent a total of two weeks and five days in the hospital with Hachi, letting him grow larger and stronger and learning how to take care of him. He was so small but he was healthy, and was soon spending most of his time out of his crib with his daddies- usually right in their arms.

"Careful or he'll never sleep unless you're holding him," a nurse cautioned them one time. Naruto had smiled politely and then sworn at her once she'd left the room. 

"I'll hold him just as much as I like," he'd growled, shifting Hachi to lie on his chest, nuzzling his dark hair. 

Sasuke agreed completely. Of _course_ they were holding him as often as they could- they hadn’t been allowed to for those first few days! And their son was so tiny- he could only drink the smallest amount of baby formula at one time, and then he'd be hungry again in less than two hours. So what was the point of putting him down for just that small amount of time?

When Hachi was finally ready to go home, they got him ready and snuck out of the hospital just before midnight. Everyone in Konoha was still eager to see the Hokage's new baby son, but only their closest friends had been allowed to visit the hospital- Hachi's immune system was still very vulnerable. And so they left the hospital while Konoha was fast asleep, making their way home completely undisturbed by well-wishers.  

"It feels like we've been away for so long," Sasuke murmured as he stood at the front door, waiting for Naruto to unlock it. He was cradling Hachi against his chest, snuggled up in a blanket to protect him from the autumn chill. "Yuzu said the cats are really angry at me..."

"They'll forgive you," Naruto said with a grin. "...eventually! Cats are cats, after all."

"Can I see his room first?" Sasuke asked when Naruto opened the door and ushered him inside, carrying their bags behind him. Naruto had described Hachi’s nursery to him, but he wasn't exactly known for his descriptive skills, that was for sure.

"Yes, let’s go check it out!" Naruto exclaimed, leading the way down the hall. "It's so sweet, Sas, I'm so glad they did this for us!"

Naruto flicked on the light and Sasuke peered through the door. It _was_ sweet- painted a happy, pale yellow and complete with crib, change-table, and a small but plush-looking couch and rocking chair. "Look, Hachi, it's your very own room," Sasuke said. "...even though I think you'll stay with us for a while, hey?"

"Definitely," Naruto agreed. "They put another crib in our room next to our bed. Everything's ready for us."

"Oh, he's hungry," Sasuke said, smiling at Hachi trying to suck on his throat. He made a whiny little noise when this inevitably didn't result in any food. "Can you get him a bottle? We can feed him in our room."

Naruto nodded and then headed for the kitchen while Sasuke moved down the hall to their room, breathing a sigh of relief when he reached the bed and sat down. That wicked exhaustion of the last few weeks of the clone’s pregnancy had passed, but he and Naruto were both insanely tired. _I guess we'll just have to get used to that_ , Sasuke thought to himself, yawning as he propped himself up on the pillows. 

"You're worth it though," Sasuke murmured to Hachi, who was wriggling his tiny body around in his wrap and gazing up at his papa. "Who needs sleep, anyway?" Hachi was a marvel, with his dark hair and beautiful trusting eyes. Sasuke was more in love than he ever thought possible- despite his sleep-deprived state and messed-up chakra.

There was a sudden screech and yell from the kitchen, and Sasuke rolled his eyes. “Not again!” came Naruto’s cry.

“He’s melted another bottle, hey?” Sasuke said to Hachi. After all these years, Naruto had finally decided to learn the Uchiha Method© for drying dishes and heating up baby bottles, and it wasn’t going all that well. But hey, he was trying.

“ _Sasuke_ ,” Naruto whined as he slumped into the room, holding a fresh bottle out to the bed. “Why can’t I do it? I used to learn new jutsus without any trouble at _all_ …”

Sasuke highly doubted that Naruto had _ever_ learned a new jutsu without drama, but he chose not to say this out-loud. Instead he blew a gust of hot air over the bottle, and Naruto just sighed forlornly and slipped into bed next to him.

“Here,” Sasuke murmured, placing a cushion on Naruto’s lap and then gently manoeuvring Hachi into his daddy’s arms. “Maybe he’ll drink enough to give us a few hours’ sleep, hey?” Once Naruto had a firm grasp on their son he lay down next to them, slipping under the sheets and nestling into the pillows.

“He drinks more every day, don’t you baby?” Naruto cooed, leaning down and nuzzling the top of his head. Hachi made a small grunting noise as he slurped away at his bottle, and Naruto grinned.

Sasuke relaxed into the sheets and watched Naruto feed their son. Hachi’s eyes had fluttered back open and he was gazing back at his dad while he drank his bottle, his and Naruto’s blue eyes perfect mirrors of each other. Naruto gently ran a finger over his cheeks and Hachi cooed back at him.

It seemed that Naruto would never tire of simply _looking_ at his son, and Sasuke never tired of watching Naruto do so. There was so much emotion on his face- amazement, adoration, fear, anxiety, joy. Naruto had never been afraid to let his feelings show.

“You should go to sleep, Sas,” Naruto said to him, reaching out to lay a finger on his cheek instead. “You’re so tired. And we’ve got a lot to get done tomorrow…”

“Mm,” Sasuke agreed. Even though they were both planning on working from home for the next few weeks at least, their staff was keeping them up-to-date on happenings at the tower and well-supplied with an endless number of urgent tasks. They’d had to get a small table moved into their hospital room so they could work, and Yuki and Ino were constantly coming back and forth keeping the engines running- despite the fact that Ino’s baby was due any day now.

“But this little guy’s all tired out as well. I think he’ll sleep okay,” Naruto went on, smiling at Sasuke. _Sleeping okay_ meant sleeping for longer than three hours at a time- but it would be great if he managed even that. “There now, such a good boy drinking all of his bottle!” he praised Hachi, who had indeed finished all of his formula. The more he drank, the longer he’d stay asleep.

Sasuke smiled back and let his eyes fall closed. Beside him Hachi made a happy little gurgle and Naruto laughed back at him, his voice full of warmth and happiness. They were a family now; Hachi had them, and they had Hachi.  Yes, they were all exhausted and they still had a difficult few months ahead, but right now, everything was wonderful.

***

**_Eight Months Later_ **

Sasuke stretched out under the sheets and glanced over at the clock- it was 6 am. _Good job, Hachi_ , he thought to himself, feeling pleased; Hachi had slept through the whole night. _…even if 6 am is still an awful time to wake up._

He made his way down the hall to Hachi’s room via the kitchen to grab a bottle. Hachi had been sleeping in his own room for about five weeks now- and _none_ of them had enjoyed the process of adjustment. Hachi had been miserable spending the night away from his dads, and Sasuke and Naruto had been anxious and irritable. And they’d been up out of bed checking on him a million times a night- so how was that any better for anyone?!

It was getting easier, though, and they were all learning to sleep properly now. _What a novelty that is,_ Sasuke mused. Hachi was still tiny, even at eight months, but he’d started eating more and then sleeping for at least seven hours overnight. It made a big difference.

“Hi there, Hachi,” Sasuke spoke softly as he entered Hachi’s room, moving over to the crib and gazing down. Hachi stopped calling out at once and grinned; a bright, jubilant smile that had all of Sasuke’s insides melting at once.

“Pa!” Hachi gurgled, reaching his arms upwards, his little eyes wide with delight to see his papa by his side.

“Silly boy,” Sasuke said to him as he reached down to pull him to his chest. “Why are you so surprised? I’ll always come for you,” he promised, moving over to the rocking chair and settling Hachi in his arms.

“ _Gah_ ,” Hachi said to that, and Sasuke just smiled. His son knew exactly two words- _pa_ and _da_ , and the rest was all gibberish so far. _But he’s trying_ , Sasuke thought, full of wonder. _He’ll be chatting with us in no time_.

Sasuke fed Hachi his bottle in the darkened nursery, keeping him wrapped in his blanket, nice and warm. And when he was done he took him to Naruto, tucking him up in bed beside his daddy. If they were lucky, he’d sleep for another hour there by Naruto’s side.

Hachi grinned brightly seeing his daddy there next to him, wriggling around in his tightly-wrapped blanket trying to get closer to him. “Da,” he called out. “Daaa!”

“’morning, Hachi-baby…” Naruto murmured, rolling over to face his son and laying his arm over him protectively. “Did you sleep well?”

“Da,” Hachi confirmed, giggling when Naruto pressed a kiss to his little face.

“He sure did,” Sasuke added. “I’ll be heading off soon, okay? I’ll see you after lunch. You have a meeting, remember?”

“…kay,” Naruto breathed, shifting closer to Hachi and closing his eyes. “…later…”

Sasuke moved into the bathroom and quickly got ready for work. Over the past few months they’d naturally fallen into a routine. Naruto did _not_ cope well with 6 am starts- especially since he found it impossible to sleep later in the day once he was properly awake. So it fell to Sasuke to fetch Hachi in the morning, and give him a small snack- Naruto would give him a proper breakfast later (and hopefully, would remember to feed the cats: they were _not_ happy at this disruption in their lives).

Sasuke moved quickly, not bothering to eat before heading for the tower. He’d eat at his desk later on. It turned out that having a few hours at the tower by himself was very productive- he got a lot done. Yuki started work at 7:30 sometimes now, and the rest of his staff had adjusted to flexible hours as well. And when they were done, they were done- and Sasuke could head home to be with his son.

He worked solidly from seven to one, stopping to eat breakfast with Yuki when she arrived. Naruto appeared during lunch. Naruto _adored_ spending the mornings with Hachi, and two of them could play peek-a-boo for hours- _literally_ hours. It seemed neither of them ever got sick of just _being_ with each other, making each other laugh and squeal. Naruto did get some work done during Hachi’s morning nap, but otherwise, it was all about his son.

Their arrival was heralded with Hachi’s sad little cries- one look at his face told Sasuke that he was more than ready for his afternoon nap.

“Ohh, save me papa!” Naruto exclaimed, holding the unhappy baby out in front of Sasuke. “Daddy took me to the park and it was full of _strangers_!”

“…I see,” Sasuke said back to Hachi, reaching out to wipe away his crocodile tears and then taking him in his arms. “Strangers, huh? You poor thing,” he said sympathetically. Hachi still found new people very difficult. That wasn’t so surprising, perhaps; he’d spent the first three months of his life just with Naruto and Sasuke at home after all.

“So now he’s tired, hungry, _and_ miserable,” Naruto said with a sheepish grin. “Anyway, I’ve got that meeting, so!” He quickly kissed Sasuke’s cheek and ruffled Hachi’s hair, and then escaped out the door.

“Typical,” Sasuke grumbled, jostling Hachi in his arms until he ceased his- very _fake_ \- crying. “Don’t worry kiddo, the park will get easier. …probably. I’m heading home now,” he added, turning to Mao.

“Mm, and we’re almost done here too I think!” Mao said back, smiling and poking her tongue out at Hachi. Hachi stared back at her, wide-eyed, and then eventually grinned.

 _Good, the park incident’s been forgotten_. Sasuke collected his things and left the tower, holding Hachi close to his chest as he jumped over rooftops and took the shortest route home. Hachi was well-used to it, and didn’t bat an eye at the antics of his shinobi parents.

When they were home Sasuke gave him his pre-nap bottle and then set him down in his crib, leaning over the side and stroking his hair until he fell asleep, clutching his little fox plushie tight in his hands. It was a gift from his baa-chan, who was of course besotted with her “great-grandson”.

And then Sasuke had two precious hours to get things done while he slept. Sometimes Hachi had to have his nap at the tower while Sasuke finished work, but luckily that didn’t happen too often. Sasuke raced around the house tidying things up, folding and putting away the massive pile of laundry that Naruto had washed and left on their bed. Somehow, chores took ten times as long now that they had a baby in the house!

But before long Hachi was awake and demanding his papa’s full attention. Sasuke and Hachi spent a peaceful afternoon playing and chatting together. When Naruto arrived home later that evening, the two of them were on the rug in the lounge-room playing with Hachi’s brightly-coloured blocks.

“Daddy’s back, Hachi,” Sasuke said to his son, and Hachi’s blue eyes lit up at the sound of the front door opening.

“I’m home!” Naruto called from the hallway, and Hachi abandoned his tower, crawling around the couch and towards the hall as fast as he possibly could.

“Daa!” he squealed when Naruto came into the room and swept his son up into his arms.

“There’s my boy,” Naruto cooed, peppering his face with kisses and hugging him close. “Did you have a nice afternoon, bumble-bee? Have you had dinner yet?”

“He has,” Sasuke confirmed. “I’ll go run his bath, okay?”

“Okay!” Naruto said back. “Let’s tidy up then, Hachi!!” And he moved into the lounge, holding a delighted Hachi over his tower of blocks. Hachi grabbed the top block in his hands and then Naruto moved him over to the toy-box. Hachi dropped the block into it and Naruto praised him profusely for it.

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he went into the bathroom. It wasn’t a very effective way of tidying up, but Naruto seemed to think it was good training, teaching Hachi to put away his own toys. Well, as long as they both enjoyed it, it was fine!

“I’m going to finish making our dinner,” Sasuke said to Naruto when he came into the bathroom with a wriggling and naked Hachi in his arms.

“Oh, good, I’m starving!” Naruto declared as he deposited their son into the bath. “And you’re gonna go straight to sleep after your bath, aren’t you?” Naruto went on, wetting a wash-cloth and cleaning Hachi’s face.

“ _Uh_ ,” Hachi said to that, poking out his tongue and giggling when Naruto tickled his arms and neck.

 _Well that’s ominous_ , Sasuke thought to himself as he stood in the doorway watching his two boys poke their tongues out at each other and converse in their silly, made-up language. Then he moved into the kitchen and put together a quick dinner, pausing to take a bottle to Naruto when Hachi finished his bath.

“Dinner’s ready,” Sasuke announced a little later, walking into Hachi’s darkened room and finding Naruto cuddling his son on the rocking-chair, moving back and forth softly.

“And this one’s fast asleep,” Naruto added, with a deep yawn. Somehow, Naruto always had energy for his son- but as soon as Hachi was asleep for the night, the exhaustion showed on his face. They were both busier than ever these days, doing their best to keep up with their responsibilities at the tower while still putting their tiny baby first.

Sasuke took a bundled-up Hachi from Naruto’s arms and placed him in his crib. He couldn’t help but smile when Hachi yawned and made a small sound in his sleep. Sasuke had never been one to go around using words like _cute_ , _adorable_ , or _sweet_ , yet somehow Hachi was changing him in ways he’d never thought possible.

“We can go to bed as soon as we eat dinner,” Sasuke promised Naruto, reaching out and tugging the sleepy blonde to his feet. Of course, one of them would have to get up again and give Hachi his 10pm bottle, but there was nothing in the world that Sasuke would rather do tonight than curl up in bed and just relax.

“Thank _god_ ,” Naruto said to that, yawning again as they headed for the kitchen. “Hey, Sasuke, once upon a time we used to _train_ after dinner. Or read. Or- well, you know,” he said, flashing Sasuke a grin.

Oh yes, Sasuke _did_ know; but it was a little difficult to be _you know_ -ing as much these days. They were both so exhausted by the time the night came and they could be alone together. And nothing spoiled the mood faster than the sound of their son’s crying coming through the baby monitor.

“You’ll survive,” Sasuke teased, smirking back at Naruto.

“We’ll see about that,” Naruto said back with a sigh, looking despondent.

Yet later that night, after they’d eaten and showered and collapsed into bed, Naruto curled up by his side and told Sasuke all about what he and Hachi had gotten up to that morning, and his face was shining with happiness. They both knew that the exhaustion and the busy days and sacrifices were all worth it.

It was still all new for them, having this tiny creature to take care of. After almost ten years of just him and Naruto alone, it was a big change. The days were long, there was so much to do, and Sasuke never quite managed to _relax_ , to lose that tiny bubble of anxiety in the back of his mind. After all, Hikaru was the first of his clan to be born in a long, long time- and with his dark hair, pale skin and delicate features, he fit the Uchiha archetype almost perfectly. Naturally, Sasuke was worried about that- how could he not be?

Yet Hachi was an Uzumaki as well, and seeing him smiling up at his dads, so _trusting_ , so glad to just be with them, was all the assurance Sasuke needed. His son would be happy, and would grow up safe and loved. Hachi was _his_ , and Sasuke treasured him with his whole being, body and soul.

And of course, whatever challenges they encountered in the future, he and Naruto would face them together. “I’ll get up and give him his night-time bottle,” Naruto murmured to Sasuke, shifting to rest on his chest, gazing up at him with sleepy but content eyes. “You should sleep.”

“Bless you,” Sasuke said wearily back. “’night, Naruto…”

“’night, Sas,” Naruto repeated, settling the blankets over them both.

Sasuke drifted off to sleep, happy and satisfied with the warm knowledge that he had his family all around him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wahhh I hope you guys liked it!! I wanted to show a little sliver of their family life when Hachi is a bit older, and maybe show some of Hachi's personality as well- I wonder if he is how people imagined him to be??
> 
> Next week we'll have a little bonus (shh, it's contents are a surprise), and then we'll be....done, *cries hysterically*. Be sure to **ask me any questions you have** about Hachi or his family, or about this fic, or anything really (ha) and I'll do a little Q &A session in the bonus chapter as well! 
> 
> In the next few months, I'll probably be writing some drabbles or one-shots about Hachi as well, so **if there's anything you want to see or know about, please tell me~~!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here we are, at the end! And here are some special bonuses, as promised ^_^. Enjoy!!

**Bonus #1: A Day in the Life of Hikaru “Hachi” Uzumaki-Uchiha (Three Years Old)**

_Morning_

I always wake up “too early” but I try to stay in my room until the cats call for their breakfast- then I know it’s alright to get up. I play with my books or I colour while I wait for that. But sometimes I get too lonely by myself, so I sneak into my dads’ room for cuddles. If the door’s shut then I’m not allowed in. But that’s okay- the cats will cuddle with me. We have a _lot_ of cats.

Papa gets up first and we play and make breakfast. When daddy’s awake we all eat together and then papa goes to work. Some days papa takes me with him and I have to go to the childcare centre. It’s not too bad, even though there’s so many kids there. Me and Nori-chan like to play by ourselves, drawing or making sand-castles, and it’s really fun.

But usually, daddy and I spend the morning together. Mostly we go into town to see people. Everyone always wants to talk to dad. It’s his job to be friends with everyone. It’s okay, but when it gets loud and busy I don’t really like that. Sometimes we get ramen for lunch and I like that a lot. Daddy says _don’t tell papa,_ but papa already knows- he knows everything.

I like it best when we play together at home by ourselves. We do a lot of gardening. I’m growing my own sunflowers and I have to water them every day. Then we go to work and I have a nap in my tower bedroom.

_Afternoon_

Papa is usually finished work by the time I wake up. But if he isn’t, that’s okay; I have my own desk in papa’s office next to Yuki. That’s where my special crayons are- Uncle Gaara sent them to me. I only get to use them at work.

Then we go home and I get papa all to myself. We read a lot of stories. He likes to paint with me- he’s better at it than daddy (shh, that’s a secret). One time I spilled paint on Ginger’s tail and she was _mad_. Papa says she’s cranky because she’s getting old.

Sometimes my cousins come to visit us when they finish school. They’re fun but very loud. I’ll go to school as well one day when I’m big. I like when aunty and uncle come over; they’re really nice to me and teach me lots of things.

Papa’s teaching me to cook but I’m not very good at it, so mostly I just watch when he makes dinner. I help if he is making cookies or cake. Daddy’s home for dinner most nights, but not always.

_Night_

After dinner it’s time to clean up the house and then have a bath. Papa and daddy have a really big bath and it fits all three of us, but that is just on special days. I have my own bathroom next to my bedroom.

If daddy’s home we play games before bed. He likes to chase me around the house and he doesn’t get mad even if I yell. He throws me all the way up to the roof and always catches me. He tickles me until I laugh so hard that I throw up. Actually, that just happened one time. But he still tickles me a _lot_.

Papa’s really good at telling stories. He doesn’t even need a book to tell one. We read in his bed or in my cubby-house. Sometimes all three of us go for night-time walks out in the woods. They teach me about all the noises and things so that I won’t be scared. I still get a little scared sometimes but that’s okay, papa just carries me and holds me close.

I always get cuddles before bed from whoever is taking care of me. But my favourite thing is when both papa and daddy come to bed with me for cuddles while I fall asleep. Ao usually sleeps in my room at night, and sometimes Mr. Socks does as well.

I know that both my dads are really busy people. Sometimes I have to go to auntie’s house or I stay with baa-chan, for a day or even a lot of days. They always say sorry and that we’ll do something nice when they’re home. There’s lots of nice things to do with papa and daddy. We go camping or to the onsen. I go with them on work trips sometimes and see all kinds of things. We go to visit aunty Karin and papa’s family lots too.

By the way, my real name is “Hikaru”- but everyone calls me Hachi. I don’t really know why. Hachi is much easier to write on my drawings though, so it’s fine with me. It’s nice to meet you- let’s be friends!

* * *

 

**Bonus #2: Hachi fanart!!**

 

_**Commissions from[illuscarymono](http://illuscarymono.deviantart.com/)!** _

Hachi’s dork parents love to dress him in snuggly-wuggly outfits- the fluffier the better. Hachi’s favorite hobbies are helping in the garden and drawing!! He’s so proud when his daddies display his drawings in their offices <3.

 

_**Commissions from[Usuratialmant](http://usuratialmant.tumblr.com/)!!** _

N: Sasuke…it’s past Hachi’s bedtime…  
S: He’s helping me decipher these documents. He’s a genius at it you know.  
N: *secretly would prefer Hachi stays awake with them* …five more minutes. And then bedtime!  
S: Hn, sure. 

 

N: Let’s walk all the way to papa, Hachi!  
S: You’re holding onto his hands tight, aren’t you?  
N: Don’t worry, I won’t let him fall!

p.s. Mr. Roary guest appearance!!! 

 

Here we see 5-year-old Hachi all dressed up for the [“7-5-3” Festival](http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FShichi-Go-San&t=M2M1NjNlMDhhNjNjZDk4ODU4ZWY5NWMzMmNlMjFmZWI5M2EyNDllZixPMExOSWdyNQ%3D%3D)!

N: What’s wrong, kiddo?  
H: What if I fall over in these shoes? And get my hakama all messy?  
S: We’ll practice before we go to the temple, okay?  
N: Sasuke!! You’re meant to tell him that he won’t fall!!

(You can see a video of Usu making this pic [here](http://usuratialmant.tumblr.com/post/142327016931/commission-process-hachi-speed-painting-by)!!)

 

_**Birthday present from[Usuratialmant](http://usuratialmant.tumblr.com/)!!** _

 

**_Commission from[Codi-chan](http://codichan.tumblr.com/)! _ **

H: Look dad, they’re all grown up now!  
N: Wahh! Can I put them in my office?  
H: You have to share them with papa.  
N: But I can have more right, because you love me more?  
H: …I’m gonna tell papa you said that.  
N: WHAT! No!

 

 

* * *

 

**Bonus #3: Hachi Q &A!**

 

**What was Hachi's first word, pa or da?**

It was "pa" ^_^. Naruto was devastated- even though everyone told him that "pa" is just easier for Hachi to say than "da"! (Hachi has a clear preference for ramen over tomatoes, though, so it's okay.)

 

**Does Hachi even know that "Hikaru" is his real name?**

Ehehe, he grew up thinking that "Hikaru" was just one of Naruto's nicknames for him. Once he started school he realised, because his teachers call him Hikaru- everyone else calls him Hachi!

 

**Will Hachi have the sharingan?**

*cough* Mayyyybe. But in any case, Naruto and Sasuke don't think he will- they _hope_ that he won't. Hachi having blue eyes makes them think it's less likely, but he's an Uchiha after all, so it's not impossible. 

 

**Will Hachi be a ninja? What type of ninja will he be?**

Hachi naturally has large chakra reserves thanks to his Uzumaki heritage, and a fair amount of natural talent as an Uchiha, so his daddies want him to go to the academy and learn to control his abilities. But Hachi certainly doesn't have the _temperament_ to be a ninja, and he has no interest in fighting or violence at all. So, he'll definitely have a lot of non-combat ninja abilities, but he won't necessarily work as a ninja. 

 

**Is Hachi a prankster like Naruto?**

Bwahaha no!! He was _horrified_ to learn how 'naughty' his daddy was as a child! Hachi is a very honest, well-behaved child; probably _too_ honest and well-behaved! He's quite cautious and careful, so his daddies often take him travelling and encourage him to take risks, and try new things out. 

Hachi is serious and quiet like his papa, but also sweet and affectionate like his daddy. Sasuke and Naruto just love seeing the best parts of each other in their son! Hachi also LOVES cats and gardening, like his daddies!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so, so much (x 1000) for all your interest in this fic and everyone's lovely comments! I've had a great time writing this fic and chatting with you all <3 <3 <3.
> 
> Be sure to "subscribe" to my author page to stay up to date with my fics!! You can also find me on tumblr at http://shherie.tumblr.com/!!
> 
> (I apologize for the delay in replying to comments- I think I'm a little behind? Got a lot of school and work stuff to do this week ahhh!)


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